What this means
Start with the exact decision in front of you.
RICS first assesses whether information may justify investigation in the public interest. A regulated member should preserve the notice and source records, identify whether the concern is directed at an individual, a regulated firm or both, and respond to the actual information request.
Immediate priorities
Organise the position before responding.
Save the full notice, attachments and delivery details
Identify every member, firm and professional standard mentioned
Map insurance, employer, client and parallel-regulator notifications
Detailed guidance
The procedure, evidence and possible route from here.
01
Identify the member, firm and regulatory concern
An opening RICS communication may concern an individual member, a regulated firm, or connected obligations attaching to both. Read the addressee, reference, standards cited and questions together before replying. The fact that RICS has sought information does not establish liability to disciplinary action. Record when the material arrived, who within the business received it and whether the investigator has identified a public-interest reason for examining the concern.
RICS regulation extends beyond a private dispute about fees or service. The regulator considers whether rules, professional obligations or registration requirements may have been breached and whether investigation is justified. Define the asserted regulatory issue in neutral terms. A valuation complaint, for example, may involve competence, conflicts, data or firm supervision, each requiring different records. Avoid accepting a complainant's characterisation before the applicable obligation and the underlying evidence have been checked.
- Confirm whether the subject is a member, firm or both
- List every rule or standard expressly identified
- Separate the client dispute from the regulatory issue
02
Secure the professional record before giving an account
Preserve the engagement letter, instructions, inspection notes, valuation inputs, calculations, reports, revisions, quality-assurance material and communications in their existing form. Where the concern involves a regulated firm, retain governance records showing allocation, supervision and sign-off. Do not replace a weak note with a polished retrospective version. Any later explanation should be separately dated and identify what comes from contemporaneous documents, present recollection and professional opinion.
Build a chronology that includes decisions, source information and responsible people without assuming every project difficulty is disciplinary. Check who lawfully controls client files, confidential data and third-party intellectual property before disclosure. If documents are held by an employer or former firm, request them through a recorded route. A precise explanation of unavailable material is more useful than an incomplete production that silently omits evidence likely to matter.
- Preserve originals, metadata and revision histories
- Distinguish records from later recollection
- Record lawful requests for material held by others
03
Manage deadlines and connected duties
RICS may seek preliminary information before deciding whether the investigation threshold is met. Answer what is requested and seek a reasonable extension early if essential records cannot be obtained in time. Check professional indemnity, employer, partnership, insurer and client-notification duties separately; those duties may use different triggers. Notification can preserve support without requiring an unplanned admission about the underlying complaint.
If the same events involve civil proceedings, police, another regulator or an internal investigation, create one master timetable but prepare each response for its own legal purpose. Consistency in basic facts matters, yet disclosure rights and tests differ. Identify any imminent public risk or request for an interim measure immediately. The first response should establish control of the record and process rather than attempt a final defence before the allegations and evidence are clear.
- Calendar every response and parallel-process date
- Notify insurers or employers under the applicable terms
- Escalate any interim-measure issue promptly
Key questions
Keep the analysis tied to this stage.
Whether the investigation threshold is met
Whether credible evidence suggests a rule or standard was not upheld
Whether urgent protective action is being considered
Advice is provided only by the regulated firm that accepts a matter.
Common questions
Clarifying the route without assuming the outcome.
Does an RICS information request mean disciplinary action has started?
Not necessarily. RICS may gather information to decide whether investigation or disciplinary action is justified. The notice and current rules identify the stage.
Should a survey report be corrected before it is sent to RICS?
Do not alter the original. Preserve the issued report and audit trail, then provide any correction or explanation as a separate, dated document through the proper process.
Connected guidance
Continue through the topic map.
Use the hub for the full sequence or choose the connected route that matches the notice.
Official sources
Check the material for this question.
Sources checked 19 September 2026. Rules change, so compare the current notice and linked official material and tell the operator if a citation or summary needs correction.