RICS response to Rock Review on agricultural tenanted sector

Government has now responded to the Rock Review which was focused on ensuring a robust, vibrant, and thriving agricultural tenanted sector for the future for England.

As a professional body working in the public interest, RICS was pleased to engage with the Rock Review and shares its aims of ensuring landlords, tenants, government, and professions work collaboratively to help the agricultural tenanted sector to flourish.

Following publication of the Review, RICS Interim Chief Executive, Richard Collins, and other staff met with Baroness Rock and others engaged with the work of the Review. One of the Review recommendations was that the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) should commission a piece of work to produce a code of practice on how landlords, occupiers, and agents can be expected to behave in a way that is socially responsible.

RICS has agreed to step in and lead the production of that code of practice for the sector. We are pleased to lead this important piece of work and look forward to collaborating with the relevant stakeholder bodies to develop the Code. RICS will be commissioning Charles Cowap as primary author for the drafting of the Code and Charles will be supported by an Expert Working Group (EWG) consisting of representatives of each of the stakeholder bodies engaged with this. In addition, RICS is delighted that Baroness Rock herself will serve as a member of the EWG and that Matthew Morris of the Duchy of Cornwall will chair the EWG.