RICS in East Of England: SME Half Day Seminar

Overview

Join the East of England Board for our annual half-day seminar looking at some of the issues which small or medium-sized surveying practices have to deal with.  

This talk may also be useful for future APC candidates as it will help with some of the level 1 competencies such as accounting principles and business planning which are often poorly expressed by candidates.

This year we will be considering the following topics:

Legal

Jamie Arnall of Fosters Solicitors will update us on some of the legal issues to consider when interacting with your clients.

Jamie will talk about how to manage legal risk in your client relationships, covering topics such as how to ensure you have an effective agreement in place, what to include in your terms and conditions, and how to respond to a claim from a client.

Accounting

We will hear from M+A Partners, Chartered Accountants on some of the accounting issues facing small practices.  Such as the pros and cons of LLP/Ltd and sole trader arrangements, taxation issues and how to avoid some of the accounting pitfalls.

Regulatory

Nigel Clarke, Chair of the Standards and Regulation Board and Claire Hoverd, Head of Registration and CPD will provide an update on current regulatory matters.  In particular the new CPD requirements which come into effect this year.

Speakers

Jamie Arnall, Partner, Fosters

Jamie is a Solicitor and Partner at Fosters Solicitors and heads up the firm’s Business & Commercial team, including the firm’s innovative Fosters In House service.  Fosters is a local company established in 1761and offering a full range of legal services.

Nigel Clarke, Standards and Regulation Board, RICS

Nigel Clarke has had a career working on the interface between Governments and business.  He has had a long involvement with regulation in the UK and has been permanent Chair of the SRB since November 2023.

Claire Hoverd, Head of Registration and CPD, RICS

Claire has held a number of management roles within the Regulation department at RICS over the past 12 years. Her professional expertise includes operational regulatory functions such as the registration of regulated firms and schemes, concerns and investigations, alongside in-depth knowledge of regulatory CPD rules and requirements.

Charles Golding, Interim Head of Professional Standards, RICS

Charles' main role is leading the development of RICS conduct standards and working with RICS governance bodies for the assurance of all RICS professional standards. Key projects include the updated CPD framework, valuation compliance framework and a pending update of the conflicts of interest professional standard. Charles is a member of the International Valuation Standards Council (IVSC) Tangible Assets Board (TAB). He is also an RICS member and Chartered Valuation Surveyor and prior to joining RICS practiced development and investment valuation, local taxation (rating) and lease advisory. He has worked in private practice, for government and as an expert witness.

M+A Partners

M+A Partners is an independent firm of Chartered Accountants, Chartered Tax Advisers and Registered Auditors, providing accounting, tax compliance and advisory services to businesses and sole traders. Services include advice on tax-efficient structures, maximising reliefs and sector-specific accounting support, alongside specialist work such as service charge accounting. The firm also provides VAT guidance, from end-to-end management of returns to tailored advice on the VAT implications of capital expenditure.

Clients are supported throughout the business life cycle, from start-up guidance to business valuations and exit planning.