RICS Global Guide - Sustainability Practice for Surveyors
- 12 hours ago
- 5 min read
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What is this blog about?
RICS launched a new global Guide, Sustainability Practice for Surveyors (1st Edition), in June 2026. You can download the full guide here.
This is essential reading for all RICS APC and AssocRICS candidates for the mandatory Sustainability competency. Qualified surveyors must also undertake CPD on sustainability as a mandatory 3 yearly rolling requirements - so understanding the new Guide is a MUST.
Why has new guidance been published?
RICS have published their new Guide to provide all surveyors with essential knowledge relating to sustainability. This is an area of practice that is no longer a ‘nice to have’ or a specialist area; it is something that every single surveyor needs to know about and incorporate into their daily practice and client advice.
RICS require members to create and protect sustainable, resilient and inclusive built and natural environments, as per parts c), g) and h) of Article 3 of the RICS Royal Charter.
Rule 3 of the RICS Rules of Conduct also includes example behaviour 3.10:
‘Members and firms, when advising clients about projects, encourage solutions that are sustainable in that they minimise harm and deliver balanced economic, social and environmental benefits’.
The RICS definition of sustainability in the context of built and natural environments
is:
‘The balancing of economic, environmental and social objectives across multiple levels, while fulfilling technical and functional requirements and meeting current needs without compromising those of future generations'.
The concept is built on five central tenets:
‘Protection of the natural environment
Prudent use of scarce global and local resources
Protection of the health and well-being of people, as well as the social and cultural values
of the local community
Promotion of access to services for the benefit of all, and
Support a prosperous local and regional economy’.
How is the new guidance structured?
The new guidance covers a number of topics:
Understanding sustainability
Key issues
Delivering sustainability through structured workflows
Sustainability in surveying practice
The future
What is the core tenet of the new guidance?
The new Guide requires surveyors to consider sustainability throughout the whole property life cycle. This includes the initial design, construction, operation and re-use processes. Sustainability can no longer be considered in isolation or only mentioned to clients who have a specific interest in it.
If you want to know what any specific sustainability terms mean, then RICS publish a useful Glossary within the new Guide.
What are the four core environmental pillars?
RICS introduce four core environment pillars
Climate change mitigation - focusing on reducing carbon emissions across the entire property lifecycle. This references the RICS Professional Standard Whole Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA) and utilises tools such as the Built Environment Carbon Database (BBCD).
Climate change adaptation and resilience - surveyors should advise clients on how to future proof physical assets against climate risk, e.g., extreme weather, flooding and thermal comfort requirements.
Circularity and resource use - surveyors should promote a circular economy by minimising waste, prioritising material reuse and selecting sustainable, low-impact materials. A great place to read more about the circular economy is on the Ellen MacArthur Foundation website.
Biodiversity and ecosystem health - surveyors should understand and protect natural capital, including mandatory compliance requirements, such as Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG).
What is the RICS 7 step workflow?
To provide surveyors with a structured way to deliver sustainability advice, RICS has introduced a universal 7-step workflow.
When advising a client, you should progress through these stages:
Context - understand the high-level legal, market, and environmental context of the asset.
Scope - define the boundaries of what you are assessing or advising on.
Data and metrics - gather robust, high-quality data (e.g., energy performance and embodied carbon).
Assessment and analysis - evaluate the data to identify risks and performance gaps.
Advice - formulate clear, actionable sustainability options for your client.
Action - implement the chosen strategy or support the procurement/construction phase.
Learning - review the outcomes to improve performance and inform future instructions.
How does this apply to your RICS APC?
As a mandatory competency, all RICS APC candidates need to know about Sustainability. It is also intrinsically linked to your professional ethics and the RICS Rules of Conduct. Assessors may ask how you keep your technical knowledge up to date in line with the latest RICS guidance or how you incorporate sustainability into your day to day practice.
The new Guide also ties into various pathways:
Valuation - it ties directly into the RICS Valuation - Global Standards (Red Book) ESG frameworks, such as how sustainability features (or a lack thereof) create green premiums or brown discounts.
Quantity Surveying / Project Management - a strict focus is required on carrying out cost-benefit analyses of low-carbon materials and undertaking whole-life costing.
Building Surveying - it directly impacts instructions relating to strategic lifecycle maintenance, retrofitting and building pathology. It is also a requirement to mention sustainability within level 3 surveys (see the Home Survey Standard for further information).
If you are asked a question about sustainability or a complex ethical dilemma involving an asset's environmental impact during your final assessment, use the new 7-step workflow to structure your answer.
For example, you could state that:
'In line with the June 2026 RICS Sustainability Guide, I would first establish the context and scope before gathering robust data to analyse...".
This immediately demonstrates that your knowledge is fully compliant, structured and up to date!
Conclusion & Next Steps
Don’t wait until your final submission to read up on this. Head over to the RICS website to download the full guidance and then update your CPD record and Summary of Experience.
Want to test your knowledge or need help integrating the new 7-step workflow into your Summary of Experience? Book in an hour of coaching or an E-Mock Interview with the Property Elite team.
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N.b. Nothing in this article constitutes legal, professional or financial advice.