RICS CPD requirements explained

If you’re an RICS member — or working towards it — CPD isn’t optional. This is a plain-English explainer of RICS CPD requirements: what’s expected, how the formal/informal split works, and how to record it. For the actual rules and your log, always go to RICS directly; this is the orientation, not the portal.

Want the broader picture across all the bodies? See CPD for property professionals.

What RICS expects

RICS sets an annual CPD requirement for members, generally:

• expressed as a number of hours per year,
• split between formal and informal learning, with a minimum amount of formal CPD, and
• recorded via the official RICS CPD portal.

The exact hours and rules are set by RICS and change. Confirm the current requirement on the RICS website before relying on any figure — including the framing here.

Formal vs informal CPD

• Formal CPD — structured learning with defined outcomes: accredited courses, structured webinars, conferences, formal training.
• Informal CPD — self-directed learning: reading, podcasts, private study, on-the-job learning.

RICS typically requires a minimum of formal CPD within your total, so don’t rely on informal learning alone.

How to record it

1. Log as you go in the RICS CPD portal — date, activity, type, time.
2. Add reflection — what you learned and how you’ll use it.
3. Keep evidence where relevant (certificates, confirmations).

For a general approach that works across bodies, see how to log your CPD.

Where to find good RICS-relevant CPD

RICS members already have access to a lot of CPD — use it. Beyond that, the free CPD directory lists genuinely useful (mostly free) CPD across damp & mould, energy, retrofit, building pathology and the regulations, each with an honest take on who it suits.

A note for non-RICS professionals

Other bodies (RIBA, ARB, PCA, TrustMark) set their own CPD rules — see the summary on the main CPD page. The habit is the same whoever you’re regulated by: learn regularly, record it, reflect on it.