Microsoft for Startups PartnerFor RICS building surveyors
Use AI in your surveying — and stay within the RICS standard.
The RICS professional standard on responsible AI use is now in force. Download our free RICS AI Compliance Toolkit — the core documents you need to adopt AI across condition, defect and maintenance work, with the surveyor in control and your records in order.
Enter your email and the toolkit downloads straight away. No cost. Built for building surveyors.
Walking through the RICS Responsible use of artificial intelligence in surveying practice
A walkthrough of the standard — what it means for building surveyors, and how the toolkit maps to it.
Trusted by forward-thinking teams
Scottish Building Standards Hub
Fife Council
Scottish Futures Trust
RSE Water Technology
Microsoft for Startups
Crown Commercial ServiceWhat's in the toolkit
Everything here maps to what the RICS AI standard actually asks for:
AI Use & Responsible Adoption Policy
A starter policy covering roles, responsibilities, human oversight and how AI fits your practice.
AI System Register
A simple template to log what AI you use, why, when you first used it, and when to review it.
Risk Register (with RAG ratings)
The risk-tracking format the standard expects, ready to review each quarter.
Reliability-Decision Template
So every AI output that shapes your work has a named, responsible surveyor behind it, in writing.
Plain-English Standard Checklist
A one-page "what the standard means for building surveyors" so you can see, fast, where you stand.
These are starting points to adapt to your firm — not legal advice. You stay the decision-maker.
Why it matters
Since 9 March 2026, if AI has a material impact on a surveying service, RICS expects you to show you've used it responsibly — with written policies, a register and reliability records behind you.
For building surveyors that line is easy to cross: summarising notes you rely on in a condition report, drafting defect narratives, or flagging where to investigate a fault all count.
The toolkit gives you that foundation in an afternoon, instead of building it from a dense standard on your own.
What the RICS AI standard means for surveyors
The standard applies to AI outputs that have a material impact on how a surveying service is delivered. In building surveying, AI likely has a material impact when it:
Summarises inspection notes or documents you then rely on
Drafts defect narratives, recommendations or specifications
Suggests which part of a building to investigate for a fault
Analyses photos of cracking, damp or movement
Prioritises planned or reactive maintenance
If AI touches any of these, the standard applies — and the toolkit is built for exactly these cases.
Training for RICS surveyors: staying compliant with the AI standard
Once the toolkit's working for you, this is how you make it stick. The documents give you the foundation — the training gives your people the know-how to use them, build AI into their day-to-day surveying, and keep it all within the RICS standard.
What the training covers:
What the standard actually requires
"Material impact," record-keeping, and where the line falls in condition, defect and maintenance work.
Building AI into your surveying workflows
Where AI fits across a typical job (site capture → report drafting → reliability check → sign-off), and where the human control points sit to keep you within the standard.
Using AI responsibly on the job
Safe, practical use for site capture, report drafting and document summarisation, with the surveyor in control.
Handling data safely
What can and can't go into an AI tool, and how to protect private and confidential information.
Making and recording reliability decisions
Applying professional judgement to AI outputs and evidencing it, the way the standard expects.
Keeping your registers and policy alive
Running the quarterly review and annual refresh so you stay compliant, not just start compliant.
Format
- Delivered for your team, tailored to how your firm works
- Structured to count toward CPD
- Refreshed as the guidance evolves
The standard expects relevant training at least annually for everyone involved in using AI. This is that training — built specifically for building surveyors, not a generic AI course.
Get the free RICS AI Compliance Toolkit
Policy, registers and checklist — mapped to the standard, ready to adapt to your firm.
Already have the toolkit? Book AI compliance training →