Peter Bolton King, who left his post as chief executive of NFoPP last week, is to join the RICS on April 25 to head up the residential faculty.
His position will be that of RICS Global Residential Director, succeeding David Dalby who retires in early July, but with the role taking on a new global dimension.
Bolton King, an RICS member since 1979, will now lead what is effectively the NAEA’s traditional enemy and professional rival, with the brief of growing the RICS’s residential membership.
He said: “I am joining RICS at a very significant time for the residential property industry and will be looking to continue to help this sector in the UK and overseas.”
It is understood that Bolton King, 57, had been wooed by the RICS for some time, and could also have taken his pick of job offers from abroad.
Bolton King’s appointment to the RICS comes nearly ten years after the two organisations nearly merged. Had they done so, then Bolton King’s predecessor at the NAEA, Hugh Dunsmore-Hardy would have headed up the new merged residential faculty.
Is a merger of NFoPP and the RICS now on the cards? Bolton King said: “The two organisations are already working closely together. A merger is not on my agenda, but you can never say never.”
He said of the global dimension to his role: “I have amassed considerable experience in the way different markets work across the globe and have gathered a lot of contacts. I will be able to use my knowledge to promote the RICS globally.”
Bolton King was group chief executive at the NAEA for almost nine years and oversaw its merger with ARLA under the controversial umbrella of NFoPP, which also encompassed the smaller auctioneering and commercial agents associations of NAVA and ICBA.
Turning super-commuter, Bolton King will travel to work from his home in Warwickshire to the RICS office in Parliament Square, where he will work alongside the institution’s other professional group teams, covering such areas as estate agency, lettings, survey and valuation, block management, affordable housing and social housing.
Prior to joining the NAEA, he spent five years at Bradford & Bingley as senior area director and was an area director at Black Horse Agencies (1987-98). He was also appointed as the youngest-ever salaried partner at Warwickshire-based Locke and England Chartered Surveyors in 1983.
Ken Creighton, RICS Director of Professional Standards, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have appointed Peter Bolton King. Having somebody of Peter’s vast knowledge and experience will prove invaluable to our members, the institution and the property industry as a whole.”
Outgoing residential director David Dalby added: “Having someone of Peter’s calibre taking over this role demonstrates RICS’s commitment to raising standards and professionalism in this vital economic sector, and I look forward to working with him during the hand-over period, to establish a framework to take RICS Residential to the next level, in terms of influence and global reach.”
Although the RICS is a far larger organisation overall, operating worldwide with over 100,000 members, Bolton King says that its UK residential sales group is probably of a similar size to that of the NAEA, but in terms of residential lettings activity, currently much smaller than ARLA’s.
The RICS, which has also been dogged by an ageing membership, has in recent years been attempting to grow its residential membership by introducing a new category that dispenses with the usual university-level entry qualifications and long professional training.
The NAEA was specifically formed 50 years ago to allow non-surveyors to be estate agents, preventing the RICS from monopolising the market. The RICS is a much older organisation, established in 1868 in the UK by Royal Charter.
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Comments
For clarity..
Affiliate membership would not allow you to display logos or claim to be qualified.
All you would be is a member, with a code of practice to follow (silently), an ear to what is going on in industry, a voice through monthly feedback form, a route to qualification and training if you wanted it, a library of knowledge if you needed it, and more.
BUT NO WINDOW STICKER
Not upset whatsoever.
Pure and simple, I have your measure. I know exactly what type of willie waving individual you are.
Don't believe me? Look in your window at the stickers, look at your website with the logos there.
You are one of those that want something back from your membership. You want competitive advantage in exchange for your subscriptions to the bodies you join.
You want to say "I'm in this, but the agent down the road isn't"
You have absolutely no interest in the industry as a whole, you are only interested in your own little world.
This is obvious from your remarks.
Go polish your Volvo
Oh dear righmove abuses etc you seem very upset, hit a nerve, failed the exam me dear?? Thanks for the post LOL!
@ Standards Please !!
There yo go! You are one of those.. aren't you?
You want a window sticker, you want a logo in your ads. For you it is about promoting yourself, promoting your business, massaging your ego.
Affiliate membership is none of these things and gives none of these rights.
Purely mambership' nothing more. Access to information, route to qualification and a voice for you (collective voice) at higher levels.
Standards Ha! .. What a laugh. It is idiots like you who promote and allow these quangos to exist through your own self promotion and through a supposed exclusive club.
Being an affiliate member of RICS would in no way devalue a surveyors qualification.
It would however, open the doors to increased membership at very low level, could unite an industry behind one banner and could give RICS a real voice in repect of Resi sales and Lettings by being the voice of the many.
Your narrow statement is the very reason RICS is thought of as the stuffy stiff collar brigade. Do you drive a Volvo and wear Husk Puppies?
What a short sighted fool you are.
@ Rightmove abuses agents- If you do that then it will mean there are still no standards as with the NAEA. To give accreditation just because someone pays devalues all, eg MNAEA- it’s a marketing con as we all know, just fools the public. The RICS do well to distance themselves.
same as with nfopp?
see comments
(prob also why he left?)
http://www.estateagenttoday.co.uk/news_features/NFoPP-ddirectors-to-thrash-out-issues-surrounding-its-future
This story epitomises the old saying 'It aint what you know but who you know'.
Last year I sent in my money to RICS to become an 'Affiliate Member' in respect of Estate Agency. Within 6 months I was informed this level of membership was de funked, no longer available!
What the?
What was the point of that then? Other than to bag over £200 quidies from me???
I thought it was a marvellous idea to have Affiliate membership. It would be a way of bringing together the entire industry under a recognised 'code of practice' in the 'blue book' without the need to wait 4 years wile doing exams. It was a way of opening the door to younger membership for RICS. Over time, I would imagine many new Affiliate members would have chosen to 'upgrade' their membership to 'qualified' status.
I thought it was a fantastic idea.
I would urge PBK to look at this from day 1. Boost membership NOW while it is hot news.
Open the RICS door, just ajar will do. Get the industry behind you. It is not about waving qualifications at potential clients, it is about membership of an organisation that truly represents the industry in all aspects, from codes of practice, to being the voice of agency, to being the route to qualifications, to being our representation to government.
Please do this Mr PBK.
If you harvest mass membership (even at a non qualified level) you can truly wield power as you would represent everyone from corporate's, indies, owners, managers, negs, the lot.
Act now, do something dynamic.
Out of the Frying pan into the Fire
John Smant
And thank you for your contribution of............well nothing, no opinion, no views, nothing, good man, carry on
Jonnie
Michael Day's comments are very sound and represent an objective view of where we are, however the "lowering" of qualification requirements was in principle a move by the RICS toward getting a few more estate agents on board in the face of what seemed at the time to be a burgeoning NFoPP. Perhaps the PBK appointment is after all another step in that direction. Successive governments have refused calls over the years for compulsory qualifications for Estate Agents on the simple basis that this would reduce competition in the industry and drive up costs whilst not necessarily improving service. One has to accept that the general public given the option would go for lower cost most of the time. I really really don't know the statistics but it would be interesting to see figures for major fraud cases concerning RICS members, Law Society members and NFoPP members. As we see all too often in all walks of life, proof of intellectual ability is often not a complete guarantee of honesty.
Johnnie. Thanks for wasting time posting such a valuable contribution! Good to see that EAT debate is up to its usual standards.!
Nice work if you can get it
He can sit in London with is thumb up his arse not speaking for the industry rather than Warwick
see if he can ruin the RICS brand and turn it into a confused bundle of cobblers with a name like an experimental drug like his last job at NAEA
Jonnie
@ Brian Scott - thank God there are no bent lawyers or surveyors..... apart from the one married to a policeman and helped by a lawyer
Where there is money - there will always be greed and crime. £10,000,000 wasn't it?
Heavens, some people are so patronising
RICS cant even mention lettings on their website - they look down on agents and yet seek to improve things? Valuers are worse than useless in the main - they have pet agents to save themselves leg work.
Remember how many claims for negligence there! And against whom? Surveyors cramming in vals and sometimes not even getting out of the car.
PBK is needed to get these elitist dinosaurs to wake up
I wish PBK well but talks of a merger or takeover are premature. I was the inaugural chair of the RICS Residential faculty when we had the referred to "discussions" previously.
At the time there was much feeling on "both sides" with the NAEA Presidential Line being anti (possibly due to losing their day in the sun) and large numbers of RICS members (particularly QS's (the largest voice) worried about letting a load of "unqualified" estate
agents into the fold. For the record, I do not recall any "agreement" that HDH would have subsequently led the Residential Faculty.
Since then the emergence of NFoPP has not, IMHO, been a great success and currently seems to be falling between the two stools of trying to be a professional body or a trade association and doing neither well.
RICS has punched below its weight in Residential for some time. New President Alan Collett is a residential man by background and I helped produce the competences under the Assoc RICS qualification to allow more people to move through the previously overly restrictive RICS qualification route.
I hope that the move signals a greater emphasis in RICS on Residential matters. For the NFoPP maybe a chance to look at what it is they should stand for and, more importantly, represent?
I don't worry about the RICS having a monopoly on the UK housing market any more than I worry about the Law Society controlling the work of solicitors. What concerns me more is that no one has any control over the actions of thousands of estate agents who, on a daily basis, deal with probably the most valuable asset anyone will ever own. Many do it completely professionally but some do not. There is precious little in place to catch the dishonest and nothing in place to catch the incompetent.
Well, one comment mentioned "sinking ship" and yes PBK's departure from the NFoPP did kind of correspond with the centenary of the Titanic disaster, however on closer examination the date of the new RICS appointment exactly coincides with the fated liner's launch and it could be that the RICS will be less plain sailing than the NFoPP has been.
Notwithstanding that, we should wish him all the best for the future and if that means almalgamation so-be-it. Under PBK the NAEA is no longer what it was and sadly never will be.
Conspiracy? No. It just worked out that way.
Surprising though if before long the Government doesn't wake up to the the fact that the RICS and it's members represent an absolute monopoly of the UK housing market together with all the inherent dangers of such a situation.
It is possible there could be an iceberg waiting out there.
Don't really see any value in appointing Harry Potter
Ray Evans - of course they knew - it coincided with a retirement in a world where that sort of job is hardly common.
Moreover, why doesn't NFoPP just appoint Potter - he does most of their talking and is actually a good guy with great ideas - he doesn't come across well, but when you get to know him, he is a top chap.
I shall stay anonymous as I don't want to be lynched.
More of the alternative view.........
PBK was and is a decent person, as expressed in the comments made today and with which I agree. Good luck to him.
However, my concern is with the directors/leaders of the NFoPP. Who were the dumb brains who gave the top job in the NAEA (subsequently part of the NFoPP - big mistake? ) to an RICS member and why did his contract not state a longer notice period than about three weeks plus possibly other restrictions? "Surprise move" - no one knew?
If the NFoPP is going to recommend moving down the path of "amalgamation" or similar with the RICS then they should say so - although it would be more of a take over by the RICS? It may suit the big businesses involved in the residential industry but what about the smaller independents who during the 60's and 70's brought the marketing and selling of residential property into the 20th century and for whom the NAEA was formed to represent?
At the moment the whole thing is a mess.
P.S. I do not expect everyone to agree. ;>)
Moving from a dead horse to dead donkey.
For years we've been told/encouraged to promote our professional standards under NAEA, ARLA and ultimately very few of our clients, if any, care less what we - and it - stands for.
The only thing that made it worth something was that it was still miles better (and cheaper) than the RICS.
I'm now waiting for another propertylive fiasco but badged under an incompetent RICS rather than NAEA
Perhaps a merger of NFOPP and RICS would be a good idea - at least it would get all the dinosaurs in one place :-)
PBK will have his work cut out. RICS comes over as crusty and old-fashioned. Its monthly house price surveys, as has been flagged up by EAT on many occassions, are not worth the paper they're written on and make almost no sense. It will be interesting to see where the RICS is in a year's time and where the NAEA is. Could this be the ideal time for ARLA to break away?
This is excellent news for the RICS. Some forward thinking at last!
Congratulations Peter, all sounds very exciting, if anybody can Work towards helping to give the Estate Agency Profession a much needed single voice I guess it is you
I am really pleased for PBK - its a great move. Perhaps it will bring RICS and NFoPP closer together. Presently, RICS is silent on key residential issues, such a licencing and their website is devoid of any reference to lettings.
I know PBK is passionate about regulation and this can only be a good thing. Many NFoPP policies were formed by PBK and perhaps a little synergy will create a united message.
I will Peter all the best - its a tough challenge.
A personal view.....
PBK (RICS) obviously knows the NFoPP and its workings, plans etc. inside out . "Fifth Column" & "Sinking Ship" comes to mind. Unless there is some DYNAMIC action by the NFoPP immediately it will soon be RIP.
Too strong an opinion? I don't think so!
If he does as well at the RICS as the NAEA opps! Now he is surrounded by peolple who actually are qualified will he drop his paid for FNAEA initials????
Realising R what rubbish you post it makes no sence but then again it is you.
Commitment, contribution, professionalism hard work and an excellent voice reaps rewards! My sincere CONGRATULATIONS Peter and to the RICS on their appointment. I have no hesitation in thinking this is going to be a hugely successful relationship and enthusiatically look forward to our future meets.
I wholeheartedly agree with the other comments. Well done to PBK - gives me food for thought on what I do in the future now !
As Henry says, well done RICS and more importantly congratulations PBK for having the courage to make the move. There are many of us in the industry who will wish you all the very best.. The RICS have some sorting out to do and you coould well be the guy to achieve it.
Well, this 'could' be an interesting turn of events at an equally interesting juncture for the UK housing market and possibly even, in housing markets in countries beyond.
Congratulations to RiCS who have pulled off a serious coup! Although the idea that RiCS may be as large as NAEA in the Uk is laughable it must now be possible for RiCS to achieve their goal of becoming the voice of residential property.
As happens with many organisations a change at the top may be what is required to move the argument forward. Peter's predecessor had not had a voice outside the Ivory Towers in Great George Street. Will the Pied Piper of Warwick bring a significant following to London and if so, will ARLA be able to keep clear as NAEA implodes?
If nothing else Peter should be able to leave behind those luddites at the NAEA who seem determined to drive their organisation into the ground. Chartered Surveyors may not be the most dynamic estate agents in the country but they are undoubtably more professional. This may well turn out to be a water shed moment and I for one will follow PBK's progress in London with considerable interest.