624_Pathway_Residential_EstateAgency by Graham Roberts-Phelps

Residential Estate Agency

Candidate Guide: Associate Assessment

rics.org 1

residential estate agency

Published by: RICS, Parliament Square, London SW1P 3AD All rights in this publication, including full copyright or publishing right, content and design, are owned by RICS, except where otherwise described. Any dispute arising out of this publication is subject to the law and jurisdiction of England and Wales.

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Contents

Introduction Section A

Associate: giving you a competitive edge

Section B

Are you eligible for Associate Assessment?

Section C The pathway and its competencies

Section D Your Associate Supporter

Stage 1 – Registration Section 1.1 Residential Estate Agency technical competencies

Section 1.2 How to register

Stage 2 – Assembling your evidence Section 2.1 The Managed Learning Environment

Section 2.2 Written evidence

Section 2.3 Commentary

Section 2.4 Structured development

Stage 3 – Associate Assessment Section 3.1 Ready for assessment

Section 3.2 Online ethics module

Section 3.3 The Associate Assessors

Section 3.4 After the Associate Assessment

Section 3.5 Audit and quality assurance

Section 3.6 Associate glossary

Appendix Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide

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Introduction Section A Associate: giving you a competitive edge Membership of RICS gives you a genuine competitive advantage in your career and is highly regarded by employers and clients around the globe. Becoming an RICS Associate (AssocRICS) provides the opportunity, if you have relevant work experience or vocational qualifications (or a combination of the two), to enhance your status and gain the recognition you deserve.

The people You will work with a number of people to achieve the Associate qualification. Associate Supporter – unless you are ready immediately for Associate Assessment, you will benefit from having an Associate Supporter. This will most likely be your line manager, or a suitable person in your organisation who is able to give you guidance and verify the evidence submitted is substantially your own work.

It also provides a stepping stone to advance to full

Associate Proposer - must be an Associate (AssocRICS)

professional qualification (MRICS).

of four years’ standing, or a Member or Fellow (MRICS or FRICS), who will endorse your application by signing a

As an Associate you will have access to valuable professional

declaration form at Associate Assessment to confirm that

knowledge and information and the opportunity to network

you are a fit and proper person to practise.

with property experts around the world. Associate Assessors - there will be two assessors involved The Associate qualification is gained by submitting

in assessing your evidence

workplace evidence for assessment by RICS, and undertaking structured development.

• Associate Assessor – an Associate (AssocRICS), MRICS or FRICS who assesses your submitted evidence via the MLE

This guide takes you through the process of gaining your

and decides whether you have met the requirements of

Associate qualification in your chosen pathway, Residential

your pathway

Estate Agency. • Lead Associate Assessor – as above, but with the extra There are three main stages on the journey to your

responsibility of writing the feedback for referred candidates,

Associate qualification

and managing the contact between the two assessors before a decision is reached.

1. Registration – this is the stage where you become an Associate Candidate. The registration system determines whether you are ready for Associate Assessment now, or whether you need to gain more qualifications or experience before being assessed. 2. Assembling your evidence – you will do this using the online Managed Learning Environment (MLE), where you upload your evidence and record your structured development. 3. Associate Assessment – when you have assembled the evidence, you submit it to RICS Associate Assessors who decide whether you have met all the requirements to become an Associate. These stages are outlined in more detail in this guide.

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Introduction

Section B Are you eligible for Associate Assessment? The requirements for the Associate Assessment vary depending on a candidate’s prior work experience and qualifications. Each candidate will be given an assessment plan (through the MLE) which sets out what must be done to become an Associate. Candidates who already have proven competence through specific surveying related qualifications and/or membership of a specific professional body may be eligible for direct entry.

mean gaining more years of experience before applying for Associate Assessment. In these cases, you can enrol as an Associate Candidate as soon as you have the support of your employer and an understanding of how to meet the requirements. The MLE can be used as a tool to log your development and training as you progress towards assessment. Various qualifications (academic or vocational) can reduce the length of experience you require. Typical subject areas for the Residential Estate Agency pathway include Residential Estate

If you have only a short period of experience you must

Management and Property Management. Other qualifications

discuss with your employer the best option for you to reach

in subjects such as Valuation or Property Economics can also

the Associate requirements. This might be by completing

be relevant.

a qualification such as a Higher National Diploma (HND), Foundation degree or National (or Scottish) Vocational

The diagram below illustrates the various routes to

Qualification (NVQ/SVQ). It might on the other hand simply

becoming an Associate.

RICS Associate Qualification Candidate Profile

Requirements

No vocational/ academic qualification

Minimum 4 years’ experience

Relevant NVQ 3 Relevant HND/HNC, DipHE/FD

Minimum 2 years’ experience

Relevant degree

Minimum 12 months’ experience

Associate Assessment

Ethics Module

Associate (AssocRICS)

RICS approved professional body membership Direct entry

RICS approved NVQ 4

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Introduction Here are some possible examples to illustrate how you could progress. Note, though, that whatever your current situation you can enrol as an Associate Candidate NOW, and work towards Associate Assessment at your own pace. No relevant qualifications? You could look at several different ways to ensure you are eligible for Associate Assessment, such as:

Work experience Continue in relevant employment until you have four years’ experience, and collect evidence as you go. Further study Enrol with a university or further education college and do, for example, a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Residential Estate Agency plus two years’ work experience (if you do this by part-time or distance learning you can collect your evidence while you are studying).

Vocational qualification Enrol on an NVQ3. This will reduce the number of years you need to work before you can be assessed (you will need two years’ work experience – you can gain this while you are doing your NVQ).

Professional body If you are already preparing for a qualification from another professional body, that qualification may count towards AssocRICS.

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Introduction Section C The pathway and its competencies RICS members practise in a wide range of technical disciplines, each of which has its own unique mix of competencies known as a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;pathwayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Your pathway is Residential Estate Agency. What is Residential Estate Agency? Residential property plays a vitally important role in society. In addition to its primary purpose of meeting the housing requirements of the population it is also a growing investment asset class. Occupational use of property can be divided into rental property and owner occupied property. Given the importance of housing in society, both of these are subject to a large number of social, economic, political and legal dynamics. Those working in the area of residential agency are primarily sales and/or lettings agents. The increasing regulatory requirements relating to estate agency and rising public expectations of professionalism are driving the need for appropriately trained and qualified estate agents. Residential agents are one of the important groups operating in and around the residential property sector supporting these main functions of occupation and investment. Planners, developers, agents, mortgage lenders, professional advisers (such as valuers and building surveyors), private and institutional investors and property managers are also some of the key figures that allow the property market to operate smoothly.

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Introduction What are the RICS competencies?

How do I demonstrate the competencies?

RICS judges whether you meet its requirements by assessing

To become an Associate you must satisfy RICS that you

your competence. To be competent is to have the skill or

have achieved all the technical and mandatory competencies

ability to perform a task or function. RICS has defined the

required for your pathway.

competencies for the Residential Estate Agency pathway, as follows.

To do this you meet the following assessment requirements 1. written evidence – 24 pieces of written work taken

Six technical competencies - the technical skills needed

from your everyday role, four for each technical competency

for this pathway. These are at the heart of the Associate

(the written evidence will also demonstrate your

qualification – it is a qualification that demonstrates your

mandatory competencies)

knowledge, understanding and practical application of the competencies. The technical competencies you must achieve to become an Associate in Residential Estate Agency are • Inspection • Market appraisal • Measurement of land and property • Property records and information systems Plus TWO of the following • Leasing / letting • Property finance and funding • Property management • Purchase and sale Eight mandatory competencies - the ‘softer’ skills that all responsible practitioners need, regardless of their RICS pathway. These competencies are essential: they demonstrate your ability to work with colleagues, meet client requirements, manage your own work and act with honesty and integrity. They are • Client care • Communication and negotiation • Conduct rules, ethics and professional practice • Conflict avoidance, management and dispute resolution procedures • Data management • Health and safety • Sustainability • Teamworking.

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2. commentary – your 300 word explanation for each piece of written evidence and why you have chosen it 3. structured development record – a description of your learning activities 4. you will also complete the RICS online ethics module.

Introduction Section D Your Associate Supporter Once you have decided you want to go ahead to achieve the Associate qualification, your first step will ideally be to nominate your Associate Supporter. You do not have to have an Associate Supporter, but nominating someone to this task can be a great help to you in achieving the Associate qualification especially if you are building your evidence over time. Your Associate Supporter would normally be your line manager or a suitable person in your organisation, who is able to give you help and guidance in interpreting the requirements for Associate Assessment and verify the evidence submitted is substantially your own work. S/he should know your work and should be prepared to understand the RICS competencies and help you through the Associate process. You are now ready to enter the first stage of the process.

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Stage 1 – Registration

Registration is the stage at which • you tell RICS about your qualifications and experience, and RICS tells you whether you need to gain more experience before Associate Assessment • you pay your Associate Assessment fee and join RICS as an Associate Candidate. On the next page you will find the competency table for Residential Estate Agency. This is also available online at www.rics.org/associate The first part of the table shows the technical competencies • column 1 is a description of what the competency relates to • column 2 sets out what the candidate must achieve • column 3 gives examples of the likely knowledge, skills and experience • column 4 shows the evidence you will have to submit. Take some time (ideally with your Associate Supporter) to go through these descriptions and decide how you will provide the evidence. The second part of the table shows the mandatory competencies. You will not have to produce separate evidence for these. The evidence will be from your 24 pieces of work-based evidence, your structured development record, and the ethics module. For example, your written work will demonstrate your communication skills; a report or exchange of correspondence could show how you have worked collaboratively with colleagues. Do you have the breadth and length of experience to achieve all the competencies? If so, you could apply for Associate Assessment straight away. If there is still some way to go, do not be discouraged. You do not have to assemble all your evidence in one go: you can build up your evidence over time. It will be assessed only when you have put the full package together and are ready for Associate Assessment. So go ahead with registration, start collecting your evidence, and submit it for assessment only when you are ready.

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Stage 1 – Registration Section 1.1 Residential Estate Agency technical competencies Inspection Description

Inspections of residential property are undertaken for many purposes, but most commonly in relation to valuation, buying, selling or letting. Competent inspection is fundamental to providing accurate property advice. It is therefore important that candidates are able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the core principles of property inspection. Assessors will be seeking confirmation that all candidates have knowledge of building construction, location analysis and defects.

Requirements

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the different requirements for inspection, together with the required information and factors affecting the approach to an inspection. Undertake inspections and apply the information gained to prepare reports, schedules and/or registers of equipment, presenting appropriate information gained from the inspection.

Examples of likely knowledge, skills and experience

Evidence

Knowledge

Suitable evidence should demonstrate involvement with the preparation of the following

• safety issues when inspecting a property

You must provide four different documents as evidence for each of the competencies. The examples in this column are not a definitive list but are for illustration only. It is for you to ensure that the documents provide evidence of knowledge, skills and experience in column three.

• identifying access arrangements

• pre inspection data collection and recording of appointment

• implications of location, situation and environmental issues

• site notes

• residential building construction and specification.

• inspection of freehold and leasehold property and specific data relating to each

Activities

• reports on a unit within a block

• accurate recording of building and site characteristics

• reports on a portfolio of buildings

• preparing (or assisting in the preparation of) reports for clients • identifying potential defects of buildings (both structural and environmental) and understanding related implications • assessing quality of location, design and specification.

• inspection of an unsual building eg historic; conservation area; conversion/subdivision • floor plan production • photographs. Documentation must clearly show the candidate’s involvement with the piece of work and how they dealt with matters such as • relationship of condition (information gained from inspection) to client instruction eg valuation/appraisal on any property style • recording within the site notes the differing styles of buildings and how this could impact the valuation/ appraisal through differing planning/ conservation measures.

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Stage 1 – Registration

Market appraisal Description

This competency is about the preparation and provision of properly researched market appraisal within a residential estate agency context, enabling clients to make informed decisions regarding marketing their property(ies)

Requirements

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the purposes for which market appraisals are undertaken; the relevant appraisal methods and techniques; the appropriate standards and guidance and, in particular, the limitations of such market appraisal advice. Demonstrate practical competence in undertaking both sale and rental market appraisals and detailed involvement with the preparation and presentation of client reports. Demonstrate your ability to use appraisal methods and techniques. Show how the relevant appraisal standards and guidance have been applied.

Examples of likely knowledge, skills and experience

Evidence

Knowledge

Suitable evidence should demonstrate involvement with the preparation of the following

• principles and application of open market appraisal for sale purposes, including the relevant appraisal standards, methods and techniques • client requirements in the market appraisal process • limitations of market appraisal advice.

Documentation must clearly show the candidate’s involvement with the piece of work and how they dealt with matters such as • pre appraisal data collection • site notes

• preparation of Terms and Conditions of Engagement

• photographs

• analysis and interpretation of comparable evidence

• preparation of a market appraisal task(s) from beginning to end, with appropriate supervision.

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• open market appraisal for sale and letting purposes.

Activities

• inspection and information gathering relevant to market appraisal

• floor plans • Terms and Conditions of Engagement • conflict of interest • analysis of comparables in respect of capital and income streams – showing sources of comparable data.

Stage 1 – Registration

Measurement of land and property Description

This competency is relevant to all data capture and measurement of land or property. It refers particularly to measurement of saleable/lettable areas for lettings, sales or valuation purposes

Requirements

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the principles and limitation of measurement and apply these to undertake measurement in your area of practice. Apply your knowledge to undertake measurement. Use basic and/or advanced instrumentation to collect data. Present appropriate information gained from measurement.

Examples of likely knowledge, skills and experience

Evidence

Knowledge

Suitable evidence should demonstrate involvement with the preparation of the following

• use and limitations of different instruments

• valuation/appraisal

• the basis on which measurements should be undertaken, with particular reference to the RICS Code of Measuring Practice

• land eg mapping, use of Ordnance Survey, pro-map.

• checking procedures for the relevant instruments used and the calculations undertaken • use and limitations of plans and drawings. Activities • using the appropriate instrumentation (including laser and tapes) to capture sufficiently accurate data, based on an understanding of limitations of different instruments

Documentation must clearly show the candidate’s involvement with the piece of work and how they dealt with matters such as • interpretation of measurements and drawings quoted in site notes and how they help make up the analysis for the valuation/appraisal • interpretation of measurements and production of floor plans • ability to read and understand an Ordnance Survey mapping product and calculate dimensions using the software.

• dealing with and advising on sources of error from use of instruments • applying the appropriate guidance correctly in practice to undertake measurement of a wide variety of properties • undertaking necessary calculations • preparing and presenting measurements in a manner appropriate for the purpose they are to be used and understanding the level of accuracy that is required for different types of property.

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Stage 1 – Registration

Property records and information systems Description

This competency deals with the use management and development of property information systems (including automated valuation models) and systems for registering land and property rights. Property records and information systems are increasingly sophisticated and are used widely in the public sector (e.g. for tax assessment or property/ land title registration) and the private sector (e.g. for residential valuation, property management).

Requirements

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the factors required for property records/ information systems, including the sourcing and collating of data. Demonstrate your ability to apply knowledge, to analyse data and assemble it for use in a database.

Examples of likely knowledge, skills and experience

Evidence

Knowledge

Suitable evidence should demonstrate involvement with the preparation of the following

• use and limitations of property information tools within the candidate’s area of practice eg Automated Valuation Model • appropriate legal documentation. Activities • using a property information system to extract information for a range of different scenarios • writing clear and factual reports on information extracted from a property record or information system • interpreting plan/map data • interpreting legal language in relation to property records • ensuring security of data.

• Home Information Pack/ Home Report and Single Survey • Data protection security • Database use eg portfolio • Land registry and other property databases eg Rightmove. Documentation must clearly show the candidate’s involvement with the piece of work and how they dealt with matters such as • leasehold/freehold/common hold • comparables collation and application • site notes • calculations • floor plans • sourcing information through the web • codes of Practice covering data protection • other sources of industry data including House Price Index.

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Stage 1 – Registration Plus TWO of the following FOUR competencies Leasing / letting Description

This competency is about the letting of residential property (buying and selling long leasehold properties is covered by the competency “Purchase and Sale”). In order to achieve this competency the candidate must apply his/her knowledge and experience to assist landlords and tenants in the marketing/selection of property and in the negotiation of a deal through to completion. Candidates should be able to apply their knowledge of the whole transactional property market in order to provide reasoned advice to clients on the appropriate solutions for them.

Requirements

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how various types of property are let (or a similar interest is acquired for a client) and the different types of interests that may be placed on the market. Demonstrate an understanding of the economics of the market for such interests and the appropriate legal frameworks. Apply your knowledge and skill to the leasing/letting of all types of property and demonstrate practical experience of the associated decision-making process, marketing, reporting and completion of the transaction. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of other forms of property transaction, and of the reasons supporting the decision to proceed along the chosen leasing or letting route.

Examples of likely knowledge, skills and experience

Evidence

Knowledge

Suitable evidence should demonstrate involvement with the preparation and handling of the following

• operation of the residential letting and management market • social factors affecting the landlord and tenant relationship

• let only • let and rent collection

• basic building pathology

• let and full management.

• regulatory compliance requirements eg Energy Performance Certifcates, gas safety certificates • quality of location, design and specification of residential property.

Documentation must clearly show the Candidate’s involvement with the piece of work and how they dealt with matters such as • Terms and Conditions of Engagement

Activities

• marketing

• handling a letting/leasing transaction

• viewings and key handling • offers and negotiations

• advising clients on notification/ consent issues such as insurers, freeholders (or head leaseholders) and mortgagees • advising clients on appropriate courses of action specific to their property and circumstances.

• referencing/credit checking • guarantors • conflicts of interest • checking tenants into a property at the commencement of a tenancy • checking tenants out of a property at the end of a tenancy • disputes • deposits.

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Stage 1 – Registration

Property finance and funding Description

The competency focuses on the candidate’s understanding of the range of finance available, their understanding of how this is sourced and how this may be used to assist with property investment and development scenarios. Candidates will be expected to apply this knowledge in order to provide advice to clients on their financing options and the impact of this on their returns.

Requirements

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the role and importance of finance in property, including the principal forms of investment finance and their sources. Identify the factors that affect the ability to obtain finance to fund any investment project. Identify appropriate sources of finance and understand the principles that apply to securing finance for different purposes.

Examples of likely knowledge, skills and experience

Evidence

Knowledge

Suitable evidence should demonstrate involvement with the preparation of the following

• the various senior debt providers and their expectations in terms of pricing and security

• sources of finance

• types of finance available

• suitability of property as security and applicant as a mortgagor/taker of loan

• the concepts of gearing and Loan to Value • the suitability of particular property as security and the applicant as a mortgagor/taker of a loan

Activities • using financial information such as audited reports and accounts • interpreting the requirements of consumer credit compliance • assessing the suitability of different types of available finance to various scenarios.

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• consumer credit compliance

• the financing process

• the requirements of consumer credit compliance.

• gearing – Loan to Value, Return on Investment • land purchase based on Gross Development Value. Documentation must clearly show the candidate’s involvement with the piece of work and how they dealt with matters such as • sources of finance • suitability of property as security • down valuation • adverse credit history • stage payments on development.

Stage 1 – Registration

Property management Description

This competency is about understanding and applying your experience to the activities surrounding residential property management covering all matters arising between the client and agent in the management of property. Property managers have a growing number of statutory requirements that they must comply with. Candidates must demonstrate appreciation and experience of dealing with these issues.

Requirements

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of property management and the relationship between owner and occupier. Apply the principles of property management to provide solutions to issues affecting both owners and occupiers of real estate.

Examples of likely knowledge, skills and experience

Evidence

Knowledge

Suitable evidence should demonstrate involvement with the preparation of the following

• role of property managers and their relationship with landlords and tenants

• Assured Tenancies

• ways in which role/ responsibilities of a managing agent differ depending on the property interest being managed (eg block management, short and long leaseholds)

• Assured Shorthold Tenancies

• social factors affecting the client and agent relationship

• gas, electrical and fire safety certificates

• legislation relating to landlord and tenant

• Energy Performance Certificates.

• Homes in Multiple Occupation • property land taxation relating to leases and premises

• Law of Contract Agreements • company lets • Residential Landlord Agreements

Documentation must clearly show the candidate’s involvement with the piece of work and how they dealt with matters such as

• understanding of deposit requirements and experience of insured and custodial schemes.

• inventories

Activities

• safety certificates (gas, electric, fire etc as required)

• commissioning and/or producing inventories, safety certificates, Energy Performance Certificates • drawing up tenancy agreements appropriate to the type of letting

• drawing up appropriate tenancy agreements

• Energy Performance Certificates • deposits • giving appropriate notices.

• advising on the alternate tenant deposit scheme options as regards leases and premiums • producing management and rental accounts • handling renewal and termination of agreements • advising on landlord tax implications including non resident landlords’ requirements.

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Stage 1 – Registration

Purchase and sale Description

This competency is about the sale of residential property (including residential long leasehold properties). In order to achieve this competency the professional adviser must apply his/her knowledge and experience to assist vendors and purchasers in the marketing/selection of property and in the negotiation of a transaction through to completion. It also covers involvement with the preparation of Home Information packs. Candidates should be able to apply their knowledge of the residential property market in order to provide reasoned advice to clients on the appropriate solutions for them.

Requirements

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how various types of property are sold (or a similar interest is acquired for a client) and the different types of interests that may be placed on the market. Demonstrate an understanding of the economics of the market for such interest and the appropriate legal frameworks. Apply your knowledge and skills to the purchase or sale of all types of property and demonstrate practical experience of the associated decision making process, marketing, reporting and completion of the transaction Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of other forms of property transaction, and be aware of the reasons supporting the decision to proceed along the chosen purchase or sale route.

Examples of likely knowledge, skills and experience

Evidence

Knowledge

Suitable evidence should demonstrate involvement with the preparation of the following

• basic building pathology • economic framework surrounding the purchase and sale of residential property • methods of sale available to vendors • principles and application of the Residential Estate Agency Standards (Blue Book) • legal obligations on an estate agent, in particular in relation to property descriptions, consumer redress and advertising • legal process for sale and purchase of residential property including freehold, leasehold and commonhold transactions • different types of agency – sole, multi, joint, sole selling rights, sub agency • current levels of local and national taxation payable on residential transactions • contents and process of compiling a compliant Home Inspection Pack or Single Survey and Home Report. Activities • handling freehold, leasehold and commonhold residential property transactions on both registered and unregistered land

• leasehold sale and purchase • sale by private treaty • sale by tender (informal or formal) • sale or purchase of registered and unregistered property. Documentation must clearly show the candidate’s involvement with the piece of work and how they dealt with matters such as • Terms and Conditions of Engagement of agency instructions • production of Home Information Pack • marketing and advertising choices • compliance with legislation • provision of other services such as conveyancing, surveys, mortgages, removals etc • handling of offers • conflicts of interest • memorandum of sale • problem solving including renegotiations over price and/or other conditions of sale • management of viewings and key handling

• explaining the different types of agency

• completion.

• commissioning a compliant Home Information Pack.

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• freehold sale and purchase

• commissioning a compliant Terms and Conditions of Engagement

• explaining the current levels of local and national taxation payable on residential transactions

• exchange of contracts

Stage 1 – Registration

Mandatory competencies

Title

Requirement

Client Care

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the principles and practice of client care including • the concept of identifying all clients/colleagues/third parties who are your clients and the behaviours that are appropriate to establish good client relationships • the systems and procedures that are appropriate for managing the process of client care, including complaints • the requirement to collect data, analyse and define the needs of clients. Demonstrate practical application of the principles and practice of client care in your area of practice.

Communication and negotiation

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of effective oral, written, graphic and presentation skills including the methods and techniques that are appropriate to specific situations. Demonstrate practical application of these skills in a variety of situations, specifically including where negotiation is involved.

Conduct rules, ethics and professional practice *Although this is achieved through the RICS ethics module you should still refer to it (where applicable) in any 300-word commentary

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the role and significance of RICS and its functions. Also an appreciation of your personal professional role and society’s expectations of professional practice and RICS code of conduct and conduct regulations, including the general principles of law and the legal system, as applicable in your country of practice. Demonstrate practical application in your area of practice, being able to justify actions at all times and demonstrate personal commitment to the rules of conduct, and RICS ethical standards. Demonstrate that you have applied these in the context of advising clients.

Conflict avoidance, management and dispute resolution procedures

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the techniques for conflict avoidance, conflict management and dispute resolution procedures including for example adjudication and arbitration, appropriate to your pathway.

Data management

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the sources of information and data, and of the systems applicable to your area of practice, including the methodologies and techniques most appropriate to collect, collate and store data.

Health and safety

Sustainability

Teamworking

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the principles and responsibilities imposed by law, codes of practice and other regulations appropriate to your area of practice. Demonstrate practical application of health and safety issues and the requirements for compliance, in your area of practice.

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of why and how sustainability seeks to balance economic, environmental and social objectives at global, national and local levels, in the context of land, property and the built environment.

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the principles, behaviour and dynamics of working in a team.

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Stage 1 – Registration Section 1.2 How to register

• Select from the dropdown menu your highest relevant technical/vocational qualification (if you have a qualification which is not on the list but which you think

Go to the Registration page at www.rics.org/associate.

is relevant, contact us at associate@rics.org giving

The instructions on screen will take you step by step through

full details).

the Registration process. There are a few preliminary steps

• Select from the dropdown menu your highest grade

• enter your personal details

of membership held in a related professional body

• tell RICS how you heard about the Associate qualification

(if you have a professional body membership which is not

• confirm your pathway • enter your employment details.

on the list but which you think is relevant, contact us at associate@rics.org giving full details). Before you complete the Associate Assessment you will be

You will then get to the area where you register your relevant

asked for evidence of any qualification or professional body

experience and qualifications.

membership you have registered.

Years of relevant experience

Getting the outcome

Use whole years only. Round the number up if you have

Once you have entered all the required information, the

completed ten or more months in the latest year – for example

Registration system will determine how many years of relevant

if you have completed three years and ten months, enter ‘4’.

experience you need in order to be ready for Associate Assessment. The outcome will be given to you on screen.

How do I know whether my work experience is ‘relevant’? Count only experience that is genuinely connected with your

If the result screen tells you a period of experience is

pathway. You have to exercise some judgement on this. If in

required, this does not necessarily mean you need to gain

any doubt, ask your Associate Supporter for a second opinion.

more experience before Associate Assessment: you can count

The experience

experience retrospectively. For example, suppose it says you

• must be in the residential property sector • must, in each of the years counted, use at least some of the

need two years’ relevant experience, and you already have two years or more, either in your current job or in an earlier relevant one. In that case, you have fulfilled the experience

technical competencies for the Residential Estate Agency

requirement and do not need to gain more. Say, however, the

pathway (see section 3). By the time you reach Associate

result screen says you need two years’ relevant experience

Assessment, you must have experience in all of them.

and you have none because you have just started in the sector. In that case, you will have to gain two years’ experience before

Relevant academic, technical/vocational or professional qualifications • Select from the dropdown menu your highest relevant academic qualification. • Select from the dropdown menu the subject of your qualification (if you have a qualification in a subject which is not on the list but which you think is relevant, contact us at associate@rics.org giving full details).

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you can proceed to Associate Assessment.

Stage 1 – Registration Completing the Registration process You are now ready to complete the Registration process and become an Associate Candidate. As an Associate Candidate you will be given access to the MLE and can start putting your evidence together. • Complete the data protection screens. • Agree the terms and conditions. You will then reach the payment screen where you will pay your Associate Assessment fee. There are two methods of payment • credit card online, or • with your employer’s account (available to RICS corporate partners – you should check with your employer whether this applies to you). Once you have paid your Associate Assessment fee, you will not be required to pay any other fee until 1 January in the following calendar year – from then on, you will pay an annual subscription fee. When the payment process is completed you will be an Associate Candidate, and you will be ready to enter the MLE. • You will receive an email confirmation of your membership, including your membership number and directions to the member zone on the RICS website. • You will sign in as a member – once in, you can change your password. Reminder: You will need your RICS membership number and password every time you log on, so make sure you keep a careful note of it. Once logged into the member zone, select ‘My Details’ and click on the Associates tab. This will take you to the MLE where you will put your evidence together. When you are confident you have completed the 24 pieces of evidence, submit your portfolio of evidence for Associate Assessment. If you take the option ‘register later’, the information you gave RICS during the Registration process will be stored until you do wish to register. You will not be able to make any further progress towards Associate Assessment until you do so.e

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Stage 2 – Assembling your evidence Section 2.1 The Managed Learning Environment The Managed Learning Environment (MLE) is an online resource which enables you to upload evidence, write your 300-word commentaries and record structured development for the Associate Assessment. It is accessible from any computer connected to the Internet. Once you have entered

The MLE has additional functions to help you keep track of your uploaded evidence and structured development • alerts – to notify you of any important changes and developments, new guidance notes, or new learning resources available • events – RICS will use this section to advertise events that could count towards your structured development.

the MLE you can progress at your own pace. To see how each of these additional functions work, please MLE guide

see sections 1.4 and 1.5 of the MLE guide.

At the end of this guide, there is a complete step-by-step guide to using the MLE. When you are using the MLE,

Career history

you will see tips and guidance on screen.

You must complete, in the MLE, a table setting out your career history to demonstrate the years of relevant experience you

What is the MLE for?

declared in the Registration process. See section 2.1 of the

In the MLE you will build up, piece by piece, evidence to

MLE guide.

show your knowledge and skills. When you consider you have met all the required competencies, you apply for Associate Assessment. RICS Associate Assessors will view all your evidence and decide whether they agree that you have met the requirements to become an Associate. If successful, you will be awarded the AssocRICS designation: if you are not successful, you will be given feedback about what you need to work on. You will then collect further evidence as directed, and along with paying a re-assessment fee you can then re-submit for Associate Assessment. The requirements fall into three categories • written evidence – examples of written work prepared by you, during the course of your day-to-day employment, submitted electronically to the MLE • commentary – with each piece of evidence you will write a 300-word commentary, which you input direct into the MLE • structured development – an account of your learning activities and outcomes over the last twelve months, explaining what you have done in order to build up your competence; this is text typed into the MLE.

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Stage 1 – Assembling your evidence Section 2.2 – Written evidence Documents The evidence you submit for Associate Assessment should be in the form of material you have produced (or contributed significantly to) in the course of your day-to-day work.

Choosing what documents to submit You have seen, in section 1.1, the list of documents selected by RICS for the Residential Estate Agency pathway. The following examples should give you a clearer idea of the depth and detail the Associate Assessors want to see.

Associate Assessors want to see real work outputs. You

Example 1: If you are submitting a market appraisal, your

should provide as much variety as possible to illustrate the

evidence and commentary should include elements such as

breadth of your knowledge and application.

• site notes providing clear description of the locality, style,

These must be

accommodation, general condition and presentation of

• your own work (or have your own contribution

the property

clearly identified) • uploaded by you to the MLE. There are several different types of evidence you may submit: these include, for example • letters or emails sent to key parties • notes taken at meetings (these will be your hand written notes, not a typed up version) • work sheets • query lists • back up notes or calculations

• floor plans, photographs and other evidence collected on site • evidence of research carried out to obtain comparable evidence (office records, Land Registry, property portals), and evidence of the analysis of the information obtained in comparison with the subject property • assessment of the customer requirements in terms of timetable, any restrictions on marketing, and how these have affected your appraisal advice • a record of the discussions with the client, demonstrating how you provided the rationale for your opinions and handled client objections to your recommendations • if the appraisal led to a sale/letting instruction, demonstrate

• inspection and site notes

how the contents of the appraisal were transferred to the

• completed reports.

asking price, and the reasons behind any differences

How recent must the evidence be?

between figures.

You can build up your evidence, using the MLE, over time.

Example 2: Evidence and commentary for inspection would

However

show your input into and include

• all the evidence must have been produced in the last four

• pre inspection data collection and recording of

years (that is, no piece of evidence should be more than four years old when you submit it); and • at least one piece of evidence per competency must have been produced during the 12 months immediately prior to Associate Assessment.

appointment arrangements • risk assessment for the site inspection (animals, damaged paths, ponds) • site notes and photographs • in the case of a flat within a block, commentary on the

You must be able to show that your evidence meets these

extent of the inspection of common parts and related

time requirements – for example, any correspondence should

grounds of the whole building, and record of findings

include dates, and any report should also be dated. Evidence

relevant to the subject property assessment

such as site notes or a risk assessment should contain a reference to the date the work was done or the communication produced. If the dates are not clear from the evidence itself, make sure you clarify in the commentary (see section 2.3 of this guide).

• record of information obtained from occupier concerning tenure, restrictions on occupation, consents and warranties, guarantees, etc • note of any evident defects that might impact on saleability or price achieved.

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Stage 2 – Assembling your evidence Uploading your evidence

Work that covers more than one competency

When you have decided to submit a piece of evidence you

Don’t forget that you must submit four pieces of evidence

must produce it as an Adobe .pdf file. This is the only format

for each technical competency.

accepted by the MLE. Then upload it following the instructions in section 3 of the MLE guide. If you want to submit a

Each piece of evidence can be linked in the MLE to one

document you have only in hard copy, it must be scanned for

technical competency only – so choose the one it mainly

uploading. You must give each document a unique title when

reflects. It will then count as one of your four pieces for that

you upload it, for identification.

competency, and the MLE will ‘count down’ until you have lodged the required number for all your competencies.

NB: If you do not have access to scanning facilities at your workplace you should use public services such as your local

What if you have produced a piece of evidence that you think

library or internet café.

demonstrates more than one of your technical competencies? The Associate Assessors want to see brief, concise, relevant

Make sure you keep a copy and keep a relevant backup as

documents. If you have already submitted a document for one

you would in your normal practice.

technical competency, but want to use parts of it towards another, you should prepare another version of this evidence

You do not have to submit the documents in any particular

for the second technical competency and upload it as a

order, and at any time before you submit your evidence for

separate document. It must be given a separate title and you

assessment you can change your mind about a document.

will write a separate 300-word commentary for it. Remember

Say, for example, you have uploaded an internal report showing

that the Associate Assessors will want to see the breadth of

your work on certain aspects of a task. Later, you produce a

your work experience. You should, therefore, try to use as

particularly good piece of work in the same subject area which

many different examples as you can rather than re-using a

in your view demonstrates your abilities better than the first

single piece of work several times.

one. You can replace the earlier work with the later. Do not try to submit extra evidence for Associate Assessment: the MLE will not allow you to submit the incorrect number of pieces of evidence. Remember that the Associate Assessors want to see only work that is relevant and concise: do not submit a massive document in which only a few sections relate to the competency. Submit only the relevant extract(s), and explain in the 300-word commentary what the context was. Linking your evidence to the competencies You must submit four pieces of evidence for each technical competency. Do not be concerned if one piece on its own does not demonstrate the whole range and depth required. Choose evidence that taken together builds up a picture, reflecting different aspects of your work. For each competency, the Associate Assessors will be considering all four pieces together and looking at the bigger picture they present. Follow the process to link each document to your competencies – see section 3.1 of the MLE guide.

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Stage 2 – Assembling your evidence Work produced for another qualification

Confidentiality

Generally the evidence you submit for Associate Assessment

Your evidence is confidential and will not be disclosed by

must be produced in the course of your work – the Associate

RICS to any third party without your authority or used for any

qualification is awarded in recognition of your practical

purpose other than assessing your competence.

competence. However, if you are studying (for example, for an HNC or Foundation Degree) your tutors might set you

You may however need to ensure, for commercial reasons,

work-based assignments. And if you are doing a relevant

that you do not include names of clients, the location of a

vocational qualification such as an NVQ, you will have been

development, etc. If that is the case, and you choose for

producing work-based evidence for that qualification.

example to replace the name of your client with a pseudonym, you should include a statement with your evidence such as

You can include written course work from an academic

“the names in this document have been changed to

qualification towards your evidence, provided it relates

preserve confidentiality”.

directly to your job, rather than to the general role of the Residential Estate Agent. RICS advises that no more than half

How to view your documents

your evidence should be from course work produced for an

You can view your uploaded evidence at any time

academic qualification.

– see MLE guide, section 3.3.

You can also use evidence you have already used for a vocational qualification. All the other rules apply – that is, like any document you submit, the evidence must have been produced within the last four years, with at least one piece per competency from the 12 months prior to assessment. It is for you to decide how many pieces of evidence you could use from another qualification. Much will depend on how closely related that qualification is to your Associate pathway. The more closely related it is, the more likely it is to help you demonstrate the necessary Associate competencies. For example, if you are studying for an HNC in Estate Management, it is likely that some work-based project materials you produce for that course will be acceptable as part of the evidence for Associate Assessment (Residential Estate Agency). If, however, you are studying for, say, an HNC in Valuation, far less of any such work will be acceptable as evidence for Associate Assessment (Residential Estate Agency). NVQs require the submission of work-based evidence. So if you have recently completed an NVQ in a relevant subject (such as Sale of Residential Property), or are working towards it, you should be able to use much of your NVQ evidence for Associate Assessment. You should discuss carefully with your tutor or NVQ Assessor (and with your Associate Supporter, if you have one) before deciding to submit any individual piece of course work towards the evidence for Associate Assessment.

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Stage 2 – Assembling your evidence Section 2.3 – Commentary

the time you submit your evidence for Associate Assessment. At that point they are locked and you have no further access.

For each piece of evidence, you must submit a 300-word commentary, which is input directly into the MLE.

RICS strongly recommends you prepare your 300-word commentaries as word-processed documents, and spellcheck

The commentary serves three purposes

them, then copy and paste them into the MLE. This will make

• to demonstrate how you have understood the requirements

it easier for you to get your work to the best possible standard,

of the technical competency, and say how the piece of

and will also prevent you losing your work if you lose your

evidence demonstrates that you have achieved it – in effect,

internet connection.

you are explaining why you chose this particular piece • to demonstrate your understanding of the mandatory competencies, and show how they are reflected in the work that led to the piece of evidence (for example, did you have to work with other team members, demonstrate communication skills, etc) • to set out, where appropriate, the process you followed to complete the activity covered by your evidence. The commentary is important. It shows how you have reflected on what is required, and on your own work, and builds up a picture of what your work involves and how you go about it. You must be concise, as you have a strict word limit. There is no prescribed form for a commentary but you may find it helpful to use the following headings. How is the competency demonstrated? The requirements set out in the second column of the chart in section 1.1 should guide you in this. Wider skills Other than the main technical competency, what else does this evidence show about your work? Look particularly at the definitions of the mandatory competencies and say how this piece of evidence shows that you have achieved one or more of them. Background Describe the work that led to the piece of evidence. Where, when, how? Who was working with you? How much supervision? Is the activity part of your everyday role? How much experience do you have in it?

You can edit your 300-word commentaries at any point up to

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If you exceed the 300-word commentary limit If you have uploaded a piece of evidence but exceeded the 300-word commentary limit, the MLE will reject the piece of evidence you have just uploaded. To remedy this, simply upload the evidence again once you have reduced your commentary to 300 words.

Stage 2 – Assembling your evidence Section 2.4 – Structured development Your structured development record is a log and evaluation of the learning activities that have built up your skills towards your mandatory and technical competencies. Structured development is private learning, organised learning, work-based learning or other activities which you undertake in order to reach the required standard for your qualification. It should be • gained in a systematic, structured manner • based on a process of selecting, planning and evaluating the activities. Private learning: reading, online learning or similar which you have undertaken independently. Organised learning: a learning event provided by a training

Completing the structured development record You complete your structured development record by typing direct into the MLE. To do this, you access the structured development recording area. Follow the instructions on screen to log your activities. Detailed guidance on the process is in section 4 of the MLE guide. Do not log any activity that took less than half an hour. Start a new entry for each activity. You must follow the prompts to record • a brief description or ‘title’ (for example “event to learn about inspection techniques”) • the start date and time (when you commenced the learning activity)

company, college or similar. May be a CPD event.

• the end date and time (when you completed it)

Work-based learning: training provided in your workplace.

• a description of the activity – for example “lecture at [venue]

May include in-house training courses or events put on by

on the subject of…” [followed by a description of what the

your employer; instruction or mentored practice in new tasks;

lecture covered]. Make sure the description relates directly

reading, study or online learning required by your employer in

to the competency: show how it was relevant and useful

order to equip you for your role.

• an ‘activity review’, in which you reflect on what you have

Other: any activity not falling into one of the previous

learned and describe the learning outcome – for example,

three categories.

“raised level of skill from basic awareness to a good

You must have recorded a minimum of 48 hours

working knowledge”.

structured development in the 12 months prior to your Associate Assessment. If you are ready for Associate Assessment now, you can complete your structured development record by reviewing your learning activities over the last year (if you have no diary records of your learning activities you may have to use approximate dates). If you are working towards Associate Assessment in the future, you should complete the record as you go. There is no strict rule about the precise number of hours of structured development you record for each individual competency. You should ensure that you achieve a reasonable spread of hours across the competencies, and record a variety of activities and learning methods. You do not have to record something for every competency. Some of your activities can relate to more than one.

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Stage 2 – Assembling your evidence Some examples of structured development

Inspection

Code Work-based

Purpose

Description

Learning outcomes

An introduction to inspection techniques.

Internal training for all new members of staff.

Developed appropriate knowledge of inspection techniques that I will be able to use in my day-to-day work.

Purpose

Description

Learning outcomes

To increase knowledge of how to react to the current market conditions in order to achieve good results.

Reading article, “Making Money in a Credit Crunch”.

Improved knowledge of forfeiture, commercial tenants, investment and auctions.

Purpose

Description

Learning outcomes

To broaden my understanding of the legal and regulatory compliance in relation to residential lettings.

Legal Aspects of Letting and Management Day Release Training Course.

The course improved my knowledge of the law surrounding lettings whilst also allowing me to apply that law to situations I have been involved in.

Purpose

Description

Learning outcomes

Updating knowledge of the current requirements of the Homebuyer Report.

Internal training – Guide to the 3rd Edition of the RICS Homebuyer Report.

The training improved and updated my working knowledge of the new system RICS Homebuyer Report.

Market appraisal

Code Private

Leasing/letting

Code Organised

Purchase and sale

Code Work-based

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Stage 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Assembling your evidence Linking your structured development to your competencies Once you have recorded a structured development activity you must make sure you link it to your competencies. The MLE guide, section 4.2, shows you step by step how to do this. Keeping track of your evidence and structured development The MLE will track your progress to show you how far you have got with recording the right amount of evidence and structured development. It allows you to see, for each competency, what documentary evidence you have uploaded and how many more pieces of evidence you need to upload in order to meet the requirement for the competency. It also allows you to review all the structured development you have recorded. You can edit your record at any time before you submit your portfolio for Associate Assessment. See section 5 of the MLE guide for a detailed description of these operations. Presentation matters The RICS brand stands for the highest standards of work. The appearance and presentation of your work is important. Would a client have faith in your competence if you presented her with a report that had spelling and grammatical errors, lacked clarity or was full of inaccurate wording? Make sure that the work you submit for Associate Assessment has been properly proof-read and spell-checked, and that the language you use is appropriate.

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Stage 3 – Associate assessment Section 3.1 – Ready for assessment You are ready for Associate Assessment when you have • uploaded four pieces of evidence with a 300-word commentary for each of the technical competencies • uploaded a copy of your relevant qualification if you have registered one – this should be the certificate or a letter of confirmation • completed your structured development within the MLE • uploaded declarations for you and your Associate Supporter/Proposer (see below). Submitting your evidence for Associate Assessment The MLE guide (section 6) shows step by step the process for submitting your evidence. Choosing practice area You must select your practice area (see Section 7.0.9 of the MLE user guide). This ensures that RICS can match you with the right Associate Assessors. You must choose sales, lettings or a combination of sales and lettings. Declarations Before submitting your evidence for Associate Assessment, you and your Associate Supporter/Proposer must sign declarations verifying your work and your suitability for RICS membership. The Associate Supporter must be from the same organisation as you, and must declare that your evidence is substantially your own work and reflects your job role. The Associate Proposer must be an RICS member (Associate of four years’ standing, MRICS or FRICS) but does not necessarily have to work for the same organisation as you. S/he must declare that you are a fit and proper person to be an Associate. A single person can act as both your Associate Supporter and Associate Proposer if s/he is an RICS member as described above and works for the same organisation as you. In this case your Associate Supporter/Proposer will complete one combined declaration form.

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Stage 3 – Associate assessment Which declarations do you need? The MLE contains all the possible declarations. They are • Declaration 1 – Associate Candidate’s declaration • Declaration 2 – combined declaration for RICS member acting as both Associate Supporter and Associate Proposer • Declaration 3 – non-RICS member, who works for your organisation, acting as Associate Supporter • Declaration 4 – RICS member from a different organisation, acting as Associate Proposer. Below there is a flowchart which takes you through the options. To summarise, every Associate Candidate must sign, date and upload Declaration 1. In addition you will upload the other signed and dated declarations which reflect your circumstances. You have only two options, either • Declarations 1 and 2, or • Declarations 1, 3 and 4. Your evidence will not be assessed until you have uploaded all the required declarations.

Which Declaration is required?

All candidates sign Declaration 1

Is there an RICS member in your organisation who can verify the evidence submitted is substantially your own work

Yes

RICS member (acting as both Associate Supporter and Proposer) signs Declaration 2

Only Declarations 1 and 2 required

Declarations 1, 3 and 4 required

Identify a non RICS member in your organisation who can confirm your involvement in the work. This person acts as your Associate Supporter and signs Declaration 3

And

Identify an RICS member from your own or another organisation who will propose you as a fit and proper person for RICS membership by signing Declaration 4

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Stage 3 – Associate assessment After declarations are signed Once the declarations are signed and dated, they remain valid for 28 days. After that time they will no longer be accepted by RICS. To proceed to Associate Assessment when you have obtained the necessary declarations • upload them to the MLE • scan and upload a copy of your highest qualification, if you identified one at Registration • follow the instructions for submitting your portfolio for Associate Assessment. See MLE guide section 6.2 for details of all these processes.

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Stage 3 – Associate assessment Section 3.2 – Online ethics module

5. Know and act within your limitations - Be aware of the limits of your competence and don’t be tempted to work beyond

After you have submitted your portfolio in the MLE

these. Never commit to more than you can deliver.

In addition to submitting your evidence and structured development record, you must successfully complete the online ethics module before you can become an Associate.

6. Be objective at all times - Give clear and appropriate advice. Never let sentiments or your own interests cloud your judgement.

As a professional body RICS has a responsibility to protect the public by ensuring its members operate to the highest ethical standard. This is monitored by RICS Regulation, with reference

7. Always treat others with respect - Never discriminate against others.

to the RICS rules of conduct. To practise as a member of RICS at any level you must prove you are ethically sound.

8. Set a good example - Remember that both your public and private behaviour could affect your own, RICS’ and

Before you can become an Associate, you must successfully

other members’ reputations.

complete the online ethics module to show your understanding of RICS’ ethical requirements. The module consists of brief ethical scenarios, each of which is followed by five possible

9. Have the courage to make a stand - Be prepared to act if you suspect a risk to safety or malpractice of any sort.

solutions. In each case there is one ideal solution. You must select what you consider to be the ideal solution.

10. Comply with relevant laws and regulations - Avoid any action, illegal or litigious, that may bring the profession

There is then a final test consisting of 20 questions.

into disrepute.

You must pass this test before your Associate Assessment can be completed.

11. Avoid conflicts of interest - Declare any potential conflicts of interest, personal or professional, to all relevant parties.

The ethics module is based on RICS’ twelve ethical standards, which are as follows.

12. Respect confidentiality - Maintain the confidentiality of your clients’ affairs. Never divulge information to others

1. Act honourably - Never put your own gain above the welfare

unless it is necessary.

of your clients or others to whom you have a professional responsibility. Always consider the wider interests of society

More about these ethical standards, together with useful

in your judgements.

guidance, can be seen at www.rics.org/regulation.

2. Act with integrity - Be trustworthy in all that you do –

Once you have submitted for Associate Assessment, RICS

never deliberately mislead, whether by withholding or

will send you a personal link and password for the online

distorting information.

ethics module. You will then have two weeks in which to complete this module successfully.

3. Be open and transparent in your dealings - Share the full facts with your clients, making things as plain and intelligible as possible. 4. Be accountable for all your actions - Take full responsibility for your actions and don’t blame others if things go wrong.

Please note: passing he online ethics module on its own does not give you any RICS qualification. You must pass the ethics module AND the overall Associate Assessment before you can qualify as an Associate.

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Stage 3 – Associate assessment If you do not pass the online ethics module you will be notified by RICS, and told when you can re-sit. Once you pass the ethics module RICS will accept that you have met the requirements for the mandatory competency ‘Conduct rules, ethics and professional practice’. There is a time limit of 12 months from the date you pass the module. If more than 12 months passes between that date and the date on which you pass your Associate Assessment, you will have to re-take the ethics module before you can be awarded the Associate qualification. Please note, however, that RICS expects you to maintain your ethical knowledge and understanding – passing the ethics module is not a ‘once-and-for-all’ achievement, but must be maintained throughout your career.

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Stage 3 – Associate assessment Section 3.3 – The Associate Assessors The Associate Assessors are specifically trained RICS members who assess your submitted evidence via the MLE and decide whether you have met and satisfied the requirements of your chosen pathway. Two Associate Assessors will review your evidence and structured development online and, if you successfully meet the competency requirements and pass

For example, the feedback will • say if particular pieces of evidence were not considered to reach the required standard, or did not clearly display your skills - you will have to produce new or updated evidence for your re-assessment • recommend specific experience you need to gain (which you will record in your structured development).

the online ethics module, you will qualify as an Associate. If additional experience is required, in no case will this be Candidates who do not meet all the competency requirements

more than 12 months from the date of your result. This means

will be referred, and given feedback on what additional evidence

that you will always be able to use any evidence you have

they need to submit (and possibly what extra experience they

‘banked’ (see the next section on banking evidence) for at

need to gain).

least one Associate Assessment after a referral.

The Associate Assessors will base their decision on an

You should discuss the feedback with your Associate Supporter

all-round assessment, taking account of all your evidence,

and plan to resubmit within 12 months. If you go over that

your commentaries and your structured development.

period, and there is more than 12 months between referral and

Section 3.4 – After Associate Assessment Results Approximately four weeks after you have been accepted for

re-submission, you will be starting again – that is, you will have lost the right to rely on the banked evidence, and all the evidence you submit must be new or updated in accordance with your feedback report.

Associate Assessment, RICS will notify you by email that your

You will be required to complete and record a minimum

result is available online. It will be either ‘Pass’ or ‘Refer’.

of four hours of structured development for each month

Pass

between assessments.

If you pass the Associate Assessment your membership

You can submit for re-assessment as soon as you have

will be upgraded from Associate Candidate to Associate –

assembled the new or updated evidence you need, and a

AssocRICS. You will be directed to the RICS members’ zone

minimum of four weeks has passed since your previous

to ensure all your details are correct. A welcome pack will

Associate Assessment. Naturally, if the Associate Assessors

be sent to you.

specify that you must complete a longer period of additional experience, you will not be able to re-submit for Associate

Refer

Assessment until you have completed that period.

If you do not achieve the Associate qualification you will be directed back to the MLE where your feedback report will be

There is a re-assessment fee, payable for each Associate

stored. The Associate Assessors will

Assessment after your first one.

• provide feedback on each of the competencies • identify any piece of evidence on which they were satisfied - these are ‘banked’ for a maximum of 12 months from the date of your result (see below) • provide feedback on your structured development • give a clear explanation of what you will need to do in order to be ready for re-assessment.

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Stage 3 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Associate assessment Banking evidence

If the panel dismisses the appeal, the referral will stand

If you are referred, the Associate Assessors will identify what

and you must provide the additional evidence specified in the

further evidence you will have to provide for your next Associate

feedback report before you can be re-assessed.

Assessment. They will also identify which individual pieces of evidence submitted for your first Associate Assessment were satisfactory. Those pieces of evidence they identify as satisfactory are banked for 12 months from the date on which your result is posted on the MLE.

If the panel allows the appeal, RICS will write to you advising you that the original Associate Assessment result and feedback report are now void. You will be invited to re-apply for Associate Assessment with different Associate Assessors using your existing evidence and structured development record. You

For example, suppose for one of your technical competencies

may not submit any new documentation for the re-assessment.

two pieces of evidence were satisfactory and two were not.

The appeal fee will be refunded.

Although you will be referred on that competency, the two satisfactory pieces will be banked â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so, when you submit for re-assessment, you need supply only two new pieces for that competency. Appeals You have the right to appeal against a referral. You cannot appeal simply because you disagree with the decision of the Associate Assessors. For an appeal to be successful you must be able to show fault in the way the Associate Assessment was conducted, leading to an unfair decision. Examples would be administrative error or procedural unfairness. You will have 21 working days from the date you received the result of your Associate Assessment to make an appeal. Details of how to make an appeal are on www.rics.org Appeals must be submitted using the standard template included in the appeal guidance with an appeal fee. You should state, in no more than 1000 words, the reasons for the appeal. No further supporting documentation is permitted and no representations may be submitted by another party, eg Associate Supporter or Associate Proposer. Only an appeal directly from you (the candidate) will be considered, and no third party may appeal on your behalf. The appeal will be considered by two appeal panel members who have experience of Associate Assessment but were not involved in the original decision.

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If the two members of the appeal panel cannot reach a unanimous decision, your appeal will be allowed. The appeal panelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision is final. There is no further right of appeal.

Stage 3 – Associate assessment Section 3.5 – Audit and quality assurance RICS is committed to ensuring that the Associate qualification is supported by rigorous processes so that employers, clients and the public can have confidence that anyone who achieves it is competent to practise as an Associate. RICS will audit all assessments through monitoring and comparing assessment outcomes and standards. This will not only help to ensure confidence in the qualification but also consistency in the assessment across pathways, countries and candidates. RICS will select a number of Associate Assessments for an audit as part of the quality assurance process. If your evidence is audited, you and your Associate Supporter/Proposer may be asked for further evidence that the work is all original and reflects your job role. One in ten candidates will be subject to a telephone based interview. As part of the audit process, RICS may require you, after your Associate Assessment, to participate in a verification interview. The interview is conducted by telephone by an RICS auditor. Its purpose is not to re-assess your competence, but to verify the extent of your involvement in the work covered by your evidence, and the validity of the assessment. Any element of the Associate Assessment is subject to audit. Associate Assessors will nominate an Associate Candidate for a verification interview if they have doubts about whether his or her evidence is genuinely original – for example, if they suspect plagiarism, or passing off another person’s work as his or her own. The remainder will be selected randomly. If the auditor is not satisfied, the individual and employer concerned may be referred to RICS Professional Conduct for a formal investigation.

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Stage 3 – Associate assessment Section 3.6 – Associate Glossary

Ethics Module – RICS online learning materials and test, which enables you to demonstrate that you have achieved

Associate Assessment – The process by which Associate

the RICS ethics and professional practice competency.

Assessors consider the portfolio of evidence you have submitted, and decide whether you have achieved the

Evidence – Documents, reports etc that candidates submit

competencies for your pathway.

for Associate Assessment.

Associate Assessor – A person who assesses a candidate’s

Feedback – Comments written by the Lead Assessor

evidence and decides whether he or she has met the

explaining why an Associate Candidate did not succeed

requirements. (Lead Associate Assessor – an Associate

at Associate Assessment and what must be done

Assessor who has the additional responsibility of writing the

before re-assessment.

feedback for referred candidates). Managed Learning Environment (MLE) – Online Associate Candidate – A person who has registered on

system used to assemble your portfolio of evidence for

the Associate Assessment.

Associate Assessment.

Associate Proposer – An Associate or Chartered

Pathway – The type of surveying that an Associate Candidate

member of RICS who supports the Associate Candidate’s

is working in, eg Quantity Surveying, Building Surveying,

application to complete the Associate Assessment and

Residential Estate Agency etc. Each pathway has its own set

become an Associate. This person must sign a declaration

of competencies.

form at assessment. Practice Area – sales, lettings or a combination of sales Associate Supporter – Normally the Associate Candidate’s

and lettings.

line manager or similar, who is able to verify that the evidence submitted is substantially the Associate Candidate’s

Registration – The online system where you complete

own work.

the preliminaries for becoming an Associate Candidate: determines whether you are eligible for Associate Assessment

Banking evidence – If the assessors feel that an Associate

now, or need to gain further experience.

Candidate has provided some satisfactory evidence for a competency, but not enough to pass that competency, the

Structured Development – The range of activities by which

Associate Candidate can bank the good evidence so that it is

candidates extend their knowledge and practical skills in the

automatically accepted for the next attempt at Associate

various competencies.

– see guidance). Competencies – The key skills that an Associate Candidate must demonstrate. Declarations – Forms completed by an Associate Candidate, Associate Supporter and Associate Proposer confirming that the evidence is the Associate Candidate’s own work, and that he or she is a fit and proper person for membership of RICS. Direct Entry – A process whereby people with certain qualifications can become an Associate without undertaking Associate Assessment.

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Appendix Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide What is MLE?

What’s on the Homepage?

The Managed Learning Environment (MLE) is an online

The MLE homepage takes you to the following

system which enables a candidate to upload evidence and record structured development ready to be assessed online.

Welcome

• The Welcome section allows you to navigate to the

Main functions

main functions of the MLE:

Submission of Evidence

- Upload my qualification

• You must use this system to submit all the supporting

- Upload some new evidence

evidence for your application. • The system allows you to upload documents and attribute

- Record structured development - Download the Candidate Guide.

them to one or more competencies • You must also complete your record of structured development. This is a log of the activities you have undertaken in the 12 months before you apply for assessment. Ready for Assessment • You are ready for assessment when you have

Alerts • In this section, RICS administrators can notify you of important changes and developments, such as any changes to the rules or new learning resources available. Events • RICS will use this section to advertise events that could count towards your structured development.

- uploaded four pieces of evidence for each of the competencies - uploaded a copy of your relevant qualification if you have registered one (see section 1.2 of the Candidate Guide) - uploaded completed declarations for you, your supporter and your proposer (see section 3.1 of the Candidate Guide) • T he MLE will tell you when you have completed all these steps, at which point you can submit your evidence for assessment.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide The MLE screen by screen 1.1 Home Page When you first log in to the MLE you will see the welcome page. Each section will expand if you click on it. All the sections can be moved by clicking and dragging, so you can arrange your home page to suit your preferences. The first section displays your name. If you have to have completed further experience before you can apply for assessment, this section also displays the number of years. 1.2 Welcome Area The second section is the Welcome area. This contains links which take you to the most frequently used areas (upload a qualification, add evidence, add structured development, download guidance notes or submit evidence for assessment). 1.3 Homepage applications The homepage contains two further applications: Alerts and Events. 1.4 Alerts Alerts are the notifications from RICS of any important changes. Each one has • title • message details • date added. Click on the title of the Alert to open the full message. 1.5 Events The events tab displays a selection of current RICS events that can help you develop your competencies. If you click on the event title, you will be taken to the full event details. To subscribe to an event, click through to the event website. To see a full list of RICS events, go to www.rics/events.com

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 1.6 Calendar The calendar allows you to view on what dates you added your structured development, evidence and any event reminders you have added.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 2.0 Select Optional Competency When you first login to the MLE the first screen that you will see is the Select Competencies page. If your pathway has a choice of competencies, this is where you will choose the ones you want to submit evidence against. You can change your optional competency at a later date if required.

You can change your optional competency at any time by going to the top header bar and clicking My Details and then Optional Competencies. If you change options, you must reassign or delete any evidence you have logged against the original choice before you can go forward for assessment. You must only have 24 pieces of evidence assigned to competencies before coming forward for assessment. 2.1 Add work experience When you first log in you must also complete your work experience record. From the homepage click My Details and then Add Work Experience. Your work experience must be complete and up to date when you apply for Associate Assessment.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide You can view the work experience you have recorded by going to the homepage, clicking My Details and selecting Work Experience.

3.0 Add Evidence This is the screen in the MLE where you - upload your evidence - add commentaries (there is a shortcut to this page in the Welcome section of the home page, where it says ‘Upload some new evidence’). All the fields marked with a * are mandatory fields 1. ‘Title’ – this is the title of your piece of evidence for submission. Try to make it as clear and descriptive as possible (character limit of 100 applies) 2. Commentary – this is a free text area where you provide your commentary on the piece of evidence. There is a character limit of 300 words per entry. This will be part of your assessment: please ensure you do not use abbreviations or shorthand. The commentary is an important part of your evidence. It is essential that you read Section 2.3 of the Candidate Guide carefully and include in your commentary all the required information.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 3. ‘File Upload’ • You can upload a file ONLY if it is in Adobe .pdf format. • If you use the button marked ‘click here for help creating .pdf’, this will give you guidance. See also the Appendix at the end of this document. • To view the files you have already uploaded, go to the ‘File Upload’ tab and click on the ‘Browse’ button. This will allow you to view your own file structure and navigate through your files until the required file is found – click on the file and then click ’Open’. • Once you are happy with the information you have submitted, click on ‘Save Details’. This will then allow you to link your evidence to the competencies.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 3.1 Linking your evidence to the competencies 1. Once you have saved your evidence, you will be taken to the screen that allows you to assign that piece of evidence to your competencies. 2. The first screen shows all the technical competencies you are required to achieve for your chosen pathway. 3. Click in the box next to the title of the competency, and the piece of evidence will be linked to that competency. You can link each piece of evidence to only one competency (if you also consider it relevant to one of the mandatory competencies, you will explain this in your commentary). 4. Then click Save and View Source at the bottom of the page.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 3.2 Linking your evidence to the mandatory competencies 1. Once you have saved your evidence and assigned it to the technical competencies, you will be taken to the screen that allows you to assign that piece of evidence to the mandatory competencies. 2. The second screen shows all of the mandatory competencies you are required to achieve for your chosen pathway. 3. Click in the box next to the title of the competency, and the piece of evidence will be linked to that competency. You can link each piece of evidence to as many of the mandatory competencies as you wish (you will explain in your commentary how it demonstrates these competencies). 4. Then click Save and View Source at the bottom of the page.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 3.3 Confirmation of Evidence Submission Screen This page allows you to view a summary of the evidence you have assembled.

4.0 Structured development You can access the structured development recording area through the home page via the link ‘upload structured development’. You can also reach it from the menu bar at the top of the home page, via the tab ‘structured development’ and then the sub menu ‘add structured development’. For guidance on what should be included in your structured development record, please see section 2.4 of the Candidate Guide.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide

4.1 Upload structured development 1. ‘Description’ - enter here a brief description of the structured development activity (for example, “attended an event about…”; “studied an online module on…”). 2. Start date and time is the date and time you started the learning activity. 3. End date and time is the date and time you completed the learning activity. 4. ‘Type’ is the category of learning activity. The options (see Guide for Candidates section 10) are a. Personal Learning b. Organised Learning c. Work Based Learning d. Other 5. ‘Details’ – this is an overview of what the learning entailed. Follow the candidate guidance carefully here: you must include your learning need and details of the learning activity. 6. ‘Add Activity Review’ – this tick box will only appear if the learning is a date that has passed. You can put future events in as structured development but the system will let you know, when the date is past, that you need to add an activity review. The activity review is where you record the time you spent on the activity and reflect on what you have learned. You must describe the learning outcome and relate it to the competencies. 7. ‘Save and Link Competencies’: this allows you to assign your structured learning activities to the competencies for your pathway.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 4.2 Linking Competencies Once you have clicked ‘save and link competencies’, the screen below will appear. 1. You will see a confirmation at the top that your structured development record has been saved. 2. You will then need to tick which technical competencies that particular structured development activity should be assigned to. You can assign it to any number of the technical competencies. If you choose not to assign it to any of them, you must assign it to one or more of the mandatory competencies (see next screen). 3. Then click ‘save’.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 4.3 Linking Mandatory Competencies Once you have assigned a structured development activity to your technical competencies you will then be asked to assign it to the mandatory competencies. 1. You will see a confirmation at the top that your structured development record has been saved. 2. You will then need to tick which mandatory competencies that particular structured development activity should be assigned to. If you have not already assigned the activity to a technical competency, you must assign it to one or more of the mandatory competencies. If you have already assigned it to a technical competency you are not obliged to assign it to a mandatory competency, but you may choose to assign it to as many as you wish. 3. Then click â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;saveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 4.4 Summary Screen Once you have clicked ‘save’, the screen below will appear. 1. If you click on the title of an entry you will be taken into another page where you will be able to edit the entry or assign/remove competencies. 2. If you want to delete an entry, click in the ‘actions’ column and tick the box next to delete. Then click the ‘update’ button under the summary box.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 4.5 Editing a structured development entry or an activity review 1. You can edit your structured development record by clicking on the title of an entry. 2. You will then see what you have entered. Click the ‘edit’ tab.

3. You can edit the information you have previously entered and then click ‘save’. 4. To add an activity review, click the tick box next to ‘add activity review’.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 5. You can then enter the outcome of the learning and how many hours of structured learning it represented. Then click â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;saveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; at the bottom of the page.

6. You will then see a confirmation summary screen. If the task was completed successfully it will state this at the top of the screen in green. If a mandatory field was not completed the screen will show in red where further information is required.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 4.6 Summary report of structured development 1. To view a list of the structured development that is ready for assessment, on the main menu bar at the top click on ‘Structured Development’ and then ‘structured development summary’. 2. You will only see the structured development for which you have already added an activity review, as only these entries are ready for assessment. 3. You will see a total number of hours completed at the bottom of the page. 4. To amend any entry, click on its title.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 5.0 View Portfolio There is a tab marked â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;View Portfolioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on the top header bar of the MLE. There are four dropdown menus: Technical Competencies, Mandatory Competencies, Type and Diary. 5.1 Technical Competencies 1. If you click on a competency it will expand, showing you what evidence has been submitted against this competency. 2. In green you will see any structured development you have submitted against that competency. 3. If you click on an entry you will either be able to view the file you uploaded, or view the structured development.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 5.2 Mandatory Competencies 1. If you click on a competency it will expand, showing you what evidence has been submitted against this mandatory competency. 2. In green you will see any structured development you have submitted against that competency. 3. If you click on an entry you will either be able to view the file you uploaded, or view the structured development.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 5.3 The Diary The diary displays a log of what your have added by date.

6.0 Assessment 1. On the main header bar at the top you will see the heading ‘Progress’. If you hover over this and then click ‘List Assessment’ you will see the screen below. 2. Under ‘actions’ there are four different types of action.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 3. If you click on ‘Review progress’ under the Actions column, the following view will be displayed. 4. This view shows how many hours of structured development you have added and how many more are required. a. Green – you have submitted all of the required pieces of evidence b. Amber – more evidence is required c. Red – you have not submitted any pieces of evidence against that competency yet. All the competencies will have to display as green before you can proceed to Associate Assessment.

6.1 Changing your optional competency • To change your optional competency go to the header at the top and click My Details and then select ‘Optional Competencies’. • Your chosen competencies will be displayed in the drop down and underneath will be the titles of the evidence you have submitted against these competencies. Select the other competencies from the drop down list. • Once you have selected your optional competencies you will then be asked to reassign any evidence that was previously associated with the initial competencies. • From the drop down, click on where the evidence should be reassigned to.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 6.2 Ready for Assessment When you have submitted 24 pieces of evidence with commentaries (four for each technical competency) and recorded 48 hours of structured development over the last 12 months, recorded your work experience, uploaded your declarations, you are ready for Associate Assessment. You submit your portfolio by doing the following: 1. Go back to the menu item List Assessments (see above) where you will see another header ‘Ready for Assessment’. Click on this; or go to the welcome section on the home page and click ‘I am ready to submit my evidence for Associate Assessment’. 2. If you click on this without submitting everything required, the below screen will advise you what elements are missing.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 3. You will need to upload your signed declarations at this point, if you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t already done so. The Candidate Guide explains in detail what declarations are required: see section 3.1 of that Guide and follow the instructions carefully.

4. If, when you registered for AssocRICS, you selected an academic or vocational qualification, you must upload it before assessment: click on Link to Upload Qualification Evidence. You must upload the certificate or verification letter.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 5. If you have added too many pieces of evidence for a competency it is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;overloadedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. In this case you will need to go into the system and remove or reassign the evidence. You can only submit 24 pieces of evidence and 48 hours of structured development. Any more or any less than this and the system will not allow you to progress.

6. Once you have submitted your assessment you will not be able to edit anything within the MLE.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 7.0 My Details 1. To view the My Details page you can access it from the menu bar at the top of the screen (select ‘My Details’) or from the Home page. 2. The first section of the My Details page contains your email, contact telephone number and name. 3. If you would like to edit this page you can click on the Edit button, this will take you to www.rics.org/mydetails 4. You must complete your Job Position and Workplace: this will ensure once you are ready for assessment there is not a conflict of interest with the Associate Assessors.

5. The second two sections on the My Details pages allow you to view the pathway for which you are registered. You cannot change your pathway. If you do wish to transfer to another pathway, contact associate@rics.org 6. If you click Edit on the second section, this will allow you to enter the details about your qualification and upload your relevant certificate. 7. The title of your qualification is automatically populated from your original application through the Registration pages. If you need to amend this, contact associate@rics.org RICS will need to re-evaluate your registration if you provided inaccurate information at the Registration stage. 8. If the screen reads ‘Not Set’ you did not enter any qualification when you registered for the process. If this is due to error, and you do have a relevant qualification, contact associate@rics.org 9. Select your practice area. This will enable RICS to match you with an appropriate assessor. You must choose either Sales, lettings or a combination of sales and lettings.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide

Declarations uploaded and all details complete 1. Once everything has been uploaded and all your details are complete, go back to Submit Assessment for Review (see 6.2 above). 2. The MLE will display a Warning message telling you that when you have clicked on Continue your evidence will be locked and you will be unable to add or amend anything you have submitted as evidence.

3. By locking the record, RICS ensures that the assessors are reviewing the correct version of documents and that nothing has been changed.

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Managed Learning Environment (MLE) User Guide 8.0 Results Once your assessment outcome has been agreed you will receive an email informing you your result is online. Your results will be displayed under the Progress menu and then List Progress. If you have passed the result will be displayed in the Actions column as Passed, if you are referred your feedback report will be displayed if you click on Show Final Outcome in the Actions column.

The feedback report will display what competencies need more evidence submitting and feedback from the assessors. A new assessment has now been opened and you are required to submit the requested amount of evidence. You do not have to resubmit everything, just the areas the assessor has highlighted – more evidence, structured development, work experience. 9.0 Help Menu 1. On the menu bar at the top of the screen select Help. There are three sub menus: a. Useful Links – contains links to websites for Associate Guidance, Training Guides and rics.org b. Contact Us – via email addressed to associate@rics.org c. Guidance – all you need to know about the Associate process d. Creating a PDF – this will give you some guidance on creating a PDF.

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rics.org

RICS HQ

Advancing standards in land, property and construction.

Parliament Square London SW1P 3AD United Kingdom

RICS is the world’s leading qualification when it comes to professional standards in land, property and construction.

E pressoffice@rics.org Contact Centre: E contactrics@rics.org T +44 (0)870 333 1600 F +44 (0)20 7334 3811

In a world where more and more people, governments, banks and commercial organisations demand greater certainty of professional standards and ethics, attaining RICS status is the recognised mark of property professionalism. Over 100 000 property professionals working in the major established and emerging economies of the world have already recognised the importance of securing RICS status by becoming members. RICS is an independent professional body originally established in the UK by Royal Charter. Since 1868, RICS has been committed to setting and upholding the highest standards of excellence and integrity – providing impartial, authoritative advice on key issues affecting businesses and society. RICS is a regulator of both its individual members and firms enabling it to maintain the highest standards and providing the basis for unparalleled client confidence in the sector. RICS has a worldwide network. For further information simply contact the relevant RICS office or our Contact Centre.

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