The RICS Podcast

Social media has enabled everybody to publicise views and opinions on a stage that wouldn’t otherwise be possible, a wonderful tool with potentially harmful consequences for businesses if misused.To help navigate the complexities of how to react when a professional uses their freedom of expression in a way which endangers their firm’s reputation, we hear from RICS Technical Specialist Emma Dowd and Employment Lawyer at Squire Patton Boggs in this episode of The RICS Podcast.We delve into RICS social media guidance, protected beliefs, how to approach professionals about their potential use/misuse of social media, and more.This episode of The RICS Podcast covers:How a regulator and employer should approach social media posting within disputesWhere to identify the line when considering freedom of expression and manifesting one’s beliefs publiclyRICS’ new guidance on social media usageBest advice for firms on avoiding difficult scenarios surrounding freedom of expression on social mediaRoyal Institution of Chartered Surveyors: https://www.rics.org/uk/ RICS Podcast Page https://www.rics.org/podcast/ Kieran Halliwell https://www.linkedin.com/in/kdhalliwell/

No surveyor hopes, nor usually expects to find themselves needing to defend their competency in a court scenario, but for those who do, Alexandra Anderson is well versed in how best to make your case.As a Construction Partner at Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLC, Alexandra has a wealth of experience acting for surveyors. She joins Antony Parkinson MRICS on The RICS Podcast to share how surveyors can best prepare themselves in the event that they need to reinforce the competencies that they employ for clients.This episode of The RICS Podcast covers:Alexandra’s collaboration with the Expert Working GroupsTests that courts apply to assess a surveyor’s competenceDistinction between ‘must’ and ‘should’ in standards guidance, and how these terms are perceived in a courtThe most common and simplest fixes a surveyor can employ to define their liability and confirm scope with clientsUse of social media in relation to particular cases and valuationsRoyal Institution of Chartered Surveyors: https://www.rics.org/uk/ RICS Podcast Page https://www.rics.org/podcast/ Kieran Halliwell https://www.linkedin.com/in/kdhalliwell/

The gender split in construction is heavily one-sided, but through an exciting, bold renovation project with an all-female team, Kat & Fiona Parsons are leading a shift to level out those figures.With their construction backgrounds and passion for diversity and inclusion issues, the duo join RICS’ Sybil Taunton on this episode of The RICS Podcast to share how they’re tackling the project.Tune in to hear how they’re navigating the process of sourcing surveyors and tradespeople, the firms who are demonstrating their commitment to D&I, and the positive disruption they’re set to achieve.This episode of The RICS Podcast covers:The positive disruption and exposure of gender split that the project aims to achieveHow Kat & Fiona find and choose the firms they work withRepresenting D&I goals in large firms vs smaller businessesAdvice for businesses looking to demonstrate commitment to D&IRoyal Institution of Chartered Surveyors: https://www.rics.org/uk/ RICS Podcast Page https://www.rics.org/podcast/ Kieran Halliwell https://www.linkedin.com/in/kdhalliwell/

The valuation of real estate investment assets plays a critical role in supporting confident markets and economic stability. To future proof practices in this area, RICS commissioned a valuation review, and an important conclusion of the review was to ensure there is more clarity and transparency in the use of valuation methods. This week on The RICS Podcast Charlotte Neal leads us in a discussion around this review and the implementation of its recommendations.Charlotte, Director of Surveying Standards at RICS, is joined by CEO of LendInvest Rod Lockhart to discuss the changing economy and its effects on the real estate market, as well as some of the key findings around DCF valuation.This episode of The RICS Podcast covers:Recent changes in the economy and the effects on the real estate marketAttitudes in the market towards lending for developersThe creation of VRIC (Valuation Review Implementation Committee)DCF valuation and its role as a primary and supporting valuation methodRICS Valuation Review and DCF consultation:https://www.rics.org/profession-standards/rics-standards-and-guidance/sector-standards/valuation-standards/review-of-real-estate-investment-valuations?cid=aff|podcast|dcf%20podcast|||rics%20podcasts||| Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors: https://www.rics.org/uk/ RICS Podcast Page https://www.rics.org/podcast/ Kieran Halliwell https://www.linkedin.com/in/kdhalliwell/

In another of our candidate support instalments of The RICS Podcast, we are delighted to be joined by RICS member, assessor and mentor, Jen Lemen FRICS. Offering a perspective from the other side of the interview table, Jen shares advice on how to prepare for the big day, and some best practice hints and tips to get you through the interview. This episode of The RICS Podcast covers:How candidates can best use their preparation timeBalancing revision with relaxing to overcome stressMethods for handling questions that candidates can’t answerHow to beat nerves on the day, and how assessors approach visibly nervous candidatesCommon myths and misconceptions about the final assessment interviewJen Lemen is a co-founder of Property Elite, Chartered Surveyor and RICS APC assessor. She is the author of 'How to Become a Chartered Surveyor', published by Routledge.She is also an experienced property consultant (co-Director of Projekt) with FRICS status, a RICS Registered Valuer and a RICS Accredited Mediator, with nearly 15 years' experience working in the commercial property sector.  Her RICS assessment experience includes sitting on final APC interview panels, APC appeal panels and being a lead APC preliminary review assessor.If you would like to find out more about the range of local and global resources available to help you through your assessment journey please visit our dedicated candidate support pages on the RICS website.Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors: https://www.rics.org/uk/ RICS Podcast Page https://www.rics.org/podcast/ Kieran Halliwell https://www.linkedin.com/in/kdhalliwell/

Cities are a diverse structure by their very nature, and tackling the challenges of equity in housing, education and welfare are paramount for McKinsey’s Jonathan Woetzel.Jonathan is the Global Leader of their Cities Special Initiative, affording him an ideal perspective on how cities can grow in diversity and inclusivity. We hear from Jonathan as he joins RICS’ Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Sybil Taunton, for this World Built Environment Forum episode of The RICS Podcast.This episode covers:How does diversity relate to cities on a macro levelWho is most impacted by a shortfall in access to cities’ benefitsExamples of beneficial initiatives in diverse citiesThe challenge of housing vs storing value in real estateRoyal Institution of Chartered Surveyors: https://www.rics.org/uk/ RICS Podcast Page https://www.rics.org/podcast/ Kieran Halliwell https://www.linkedin.com/in/kdhalliwell/

The latest episode of Building the Future focuses on queer spaces, how they are used by LGBTQ+ people today and why they need to be preserved. The podcast returns to an important topic covered last year by a Modus article on the crisis queer venues are facing. It is hosted by Kelly Canterford MRICS, founder of Tigrou Consulting and co-chair of Freehold, a networking group for LGBTQ+ people working in the built environment. Joining Kelly for the discussion is Charlie Smith MRICS, a chartered surveyor with Cushman and Wakefield, Ed Welch, a graduate surveyor with CBRE and Grace Forster, a graduate surveyor with Savills.   Among the topics covered are what a ‘queer space’ means, how the definition of such a space has changed from the late 1950s to now and whether these spaces are always as inclusive as they should be. Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors: https://www.rics.org/uk/ RICS Podcast Page https://www.rics.org/podcast/ Kieran Halliwell https://www.linkedin.com/in/kdhalliwell/

In April 2022, the Building Safety Act gained Royal Assent, an act which promises to fundamentally change how we design, build and manage properties.As with any lengthy bill with hundreds of clauses, though, it’s important to know the key issues surrounding the Act. Who better to lead us through an episode of The RICS Podcast than RICS’ Global Building Standards Director, Gary Strong.In episode 58, David Savage & Andy Thomas take us through some of the key amendments, protections for leaseholders, classification of defective premises, and much more.This episode of The RICS Podcast covers:The RICS Building Safety Act Information Centre and other sources of useful documentationProtections in place for leaseholdersAmendments to what classifies defective premisesCurrent, unaddressed issues in the legislation which may need extra consideration in the near futureRoyal Institution of Chartered Surveyors: https://www.rics.org/uk/ RICS Podcast Page https://www.rics.org/podcast/ Kieran Halliwell https://www.linkedin.com/in/kdhalliwell/

The real estate industry has the power to create tangible, large-scale change, and opportunities within the sector are becoming increasingly accessible to those from more diverse backgrounds.With an incredibly prolific CV of experiences to draw on, Sue Brown is a leading figure in evolving the real estate sector as Managing Director of Real Estate Balance.We hear from Sue on The RICS Podcast as she shares real estate’s true impact, how it can be best shared, and the initiatives that are embedding diversity, equity and inclusion throughout real estate.This episode of The RICS Podcast covers:The real, positive impacts of the real estate industry and how that can be better publicisedEmbedding diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the sectorReal Estate Balance’s focus on a broad range of issues, from gender and race to social mobilityHow firms can better reach out into schools with schemes to help young, budding professionalsRoyal Institution of Chartered Surveyors: https://www.rics.org/uk/ RICS Podcast Page https://www.rics.org/podcast/ Kieran Halliwell https://www.linkedin.com/in/kdhalliwell/

Alongside the surveying profession comes the responsibility to become a key decision maker, with aspects such as being an expert witness, compulsory purchase and telecoms disputesPeter McCrea is a member of the Upper Tribunal of the Lands Chamber, and calls upon his vast experience to settle legal disputes concerning land and property issues.We hear from Peter in this week’s podcast episode as he talks us through his career in the Upper Tribunal, how you can prepare to gain experience with tribunal work, and Peter’s vital charity endeavours as Chair of LionHeart.This episode of The RICS Podcast covers:The role of the upper tribunal in the lands chamberAdvice for those looking to be involved with tribunal workThe expert witness role, and common weaknesses identifiedPeter’s personal commitment to charity work with LionheartRoyal Institution of Chartered Surveyors: https://www.rics.org/uk/ RICS Podcast Page https://www.rics.org/podcast/ Kieran Halliwell https://www.linkedin.com/in/kdhalliwell/