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Privacy Policy

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Policy explains how we collect personal data, how we use it and who we might share it with.

 

We may review this policy from time to time so please do check for updates. If you have any questions about this privacy policy or the way we process personal data please send an email to the Data Protection Officer at privacy@rics.org. Alternatively, you can write to RICS Data Protection Officer, 55 Colmore Row, Birmingham, B3 2AS.

 

Who are we?

We're the global professional body promoting and enforcing the highest international standards in the valuation, management and development of land, real estate, construction and infrastructure. Find out more here.

 

We are a company incorporated in England, whose registered office is at 12 Great George Street, Parliament Square, London SW1P 3AD (registered with company number RC000487) and registered for VAT purposes with number GB 584940013.

 

We are also registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office as a data controller (Registration number: Z7626589)

 

How do we collect information from you?

We collect information from you in the following ways:

  • through our websites
  • email, post, fax and mail correspondence with us
  • contact via phone
  • Our social media channels
  • application and request forms by post
  • in-person contacts with RICS employees, members, affiliates
  • information we gathered via events, and
  • Information we receive from external 3rd parties.

Each time we collect personal data from you we will include a link to this privacy policy so you understand how your data might be used. We will also give you the opportunity to opt-in or out of certain data uses by us.

How you send information to us is your choice but please be aware that some methods are not secure. If you are unsure how you should send confidential data to us please contact us and we may be able to help you.

 

What type of information do we collect from you?

We will collect different kinds of information from you depending on our relationship with you:

  • We will collect the data we need to administer memberships
  • To protect the public and to carry out our regulatory duties effectively, we will collect information about members and firms relating to their working practices. It may be necessary to do this without informing members or firms in certain circumstances. This data may also be collected as part of regulatory visits
  • We will collect the information we need to provide you with the products and services you have requested from us
  • We will collect information we need to arrange events and the administration of events. This is likely to include dietary requirements and any other pertinent information related to your requirements.
  • If we receive a complaint or query from members, registered firms or members of the public, we will collect the data required to consider the complaint or query effectively.
  • If you apply for a job at RICS we will collect enough data to process your application.

 

How is your information used?

The following activities we will carry out only with your opt-in consent:

  • Sharing your contact details with third parties for general marketing purposes
  • Using your contact details to send you marketing data, if you haven’t bought a product or service from us
  • Using your contact details to tell you about membership opportunities. For example, if you are a student we may send you details about becoming a full member of RICS
  • Sharing your data with our partner charity LionHeart. More details about LionHeart are available here.

We will use your data in the following ways unless you opt-out:

  • We may use your contact details to send you marketing messages, if you have bought a product or service from us. This includes subscriptions and registering as a member.
  • For members we offer a scheme known as ‘benefits plus’, when you register as a member with RICS you will be automatically enrolled onto this scheme so you can benefit from discounts and offers from third parties. Member contact details will be shared with third parties so these benefits can be offered. This is in the legitimate interest of RICS and its members and you will be given the opportunity to opt-out of the scheme at the time of registration and at any time by changing your preferences. You can find out more about the benefits plus scheme here.
  • We may use your contact details to send you surveys and other research material carried out in the legitimate interest of RICS (e.g. to improve the services we offer). We may also contact you about other types of research such as the Contractor's Tender Climate Survey, Road Tender Price Index Survey and BCIS Private Housing Construction Price Index.

Should you provide personal data to us, there are circumstances when we will use it whether you provide us with consent or not. This is likely to be the case where we need to use your data to provide you with services you have requested from us (such as processing payments or delivering products), where we need to process the data for regulatory purposes or any other legal reason.  The below lists some of the ways we may use data without your consent:

  • We may publish the results of formal disciplinary hearings in the public domain
  • We will use the personal data of members to administer their accounts and membership
  • We will send information to members about the running of RICS (e.g. AGM information)
  • We will send reminders to members about their CPD requirements
  • We will use member data to maintain the RICS member directory
  • We will send practice and guidance notes to members
  • We may share the personal data of our members or firms with other regulatory or public bodies where there is a legal basis to do so
  • We may share the personal data of our members with their employers in circumstances where it will support regulatory activity, the enforcement of professional standards or the effective management of membership
  • We will share personal data with a third party if required to do so by law
  • If you make a complaint we will process your data to address any concerns effectively. We may need to do this even if you change your mind where we have a responsibility to protect the public. This includes complaints through our regulatory team and our dispute resolution service.
  • If you contact us and provide us with your personal data as part of a query we will keep a record of those details.
  • If you are a member of a board or panel associated with RICS we will process your data to ensure the effective running of the board or panel

 

Who has access to your information?

Employees of RICS will have access to your personal data where it is needed to carry out a specific task.

On occasion we may use third parties to process personal data on our behalf (data processors), if we do this we will use carefully selected data processors and ensure we have appropriate contracts in place to protect your data. For example, we outsource some of our recruitment activities to SHL (a company that specialises in psychometric tests).

In the ‘How is your information used?’ section it describes circumstances in which other parties may be given access to your data, this includes other regulatory bodies and public authorities such as the police, HMRC and the insolvency service. We may also share your data with third party experts when getting an opinion as part of a regulatory investigation or as part of a dispute resolution service.

If you are a member and haven’t opted out of the benefits plus scheme, your personal data will be shared with the third parties offering discounts and services to members of RICS. You can find out more about the benefits plus scheme here.

We may share your data with third parties for marketing purposes where you have consented for us to do so.

 

Profiling

We may analyse your personal information to create a profile of your interests and preferences so that we can contact you with information relevant to you. We may make use of additional information about you when it is available from external sources to help us do this effectively.

You have the right to stop us analysing your personal data for marketing purposes. If you wish to do this please send your request to privacy@rics.org.

 

Your choices and rights

You have a right to access the personal data we hold about you. You may ask us to rectify or erase the personal data we hold about you or to restrict the processing we carry out. You can also object to the way we are processing your personal data.

In some cases, we may not fully comply with your request. For example, if you request access to your personal data in relation to an ongoing investigation we may not provide it to you. This is because it could affect the outcome of the case.

To submit a question about the way we process your data or to enforce your above rights please contact privacy@rics.org with your request.

We would always ask that you contact us first if you have any complaints about the way we are processing your personal data. If you have contacted us and you are still unhappy about the way we are using your data, you can submit a complaint to your national data protection authority.

 

How you can access and update your information

If you have a digital account with RICS you may be able to access our online portal to view and change some of your details. You will also be able to change your preferences regarding marketing messages.

If you wish to access data about you that isn’t available through our online portal you can submit a request for access to privacy@rics.org

 

Security precautions

We take the security of your data seriously. We have information security management systems in place and have attained the Cyber Essentials certification. Details of the certification can be found here (certificate number IASME-A-05914).

 

Where is your personal data processed?

RICS has its headquarters in the UK and this is where most of your personal data is likely to be processed, in addition to the country you reside in. We may share personal data internally within RICS around world to maintain our professional standards and memberships globally. Where this is done we will do so in accordance with the law.

 

Under 16

The products and services provided by RICS are intended for individuals over the age of 16. If you are aged 16 or under‚ please get your parent/guardian's permission before you provide us with personal information.