6 STEPS ON HOW TO BECOME AN ESTATE SURVEYOR AND VALUER

Becoming an Estate Surveyor and Valuer is a rigorous process which involve following laid down procedures that have been established by the regulatory arm of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) – Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) – for all those aspiring to become registered Estate Surveyors and Valuers in Nigeria.

Before I go ahead in explaining the various steps by which any aspiring person can become a registered Estate Surveyor and Valuer in Nigeria, it is pertinent for me to first and foremost  describe who an estate surveyor and valuer is. This will greatly help to broaden your knowledge and understanding of who actually an Estate Surveyor and Valuer is, and the need for graduates of estate management study, as well as those working in the real estate profession to be duly registered and certified as a professional (Estate Surveyor and Valuer).

The professional services that registered Estate Surveyors and Valuers renders to people as well as various roles they play in the society at large will be talked about in my next blog posts, as I don’t want to deviate from the subject matter of this particular post.

THE ESTATE SURVEYOR AND VALUER

The Estate Surveyor and Valuer is described as the person who has been trained in the art and science of estate management from a recognized institution of higher learning (Polytechnic or University) either in Nigeria or overseas, have sat for and passed all the professional qualification examinations organized by the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuer, as well as been registered by the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) as a registered estate surveyor and valuer, authorized and permitted to carry out professional services in estate surveying and valuation through the issuance of an official stamp and seal bearing the person’s name and registration number.

Been a graduate of estate management study automatically qualifies such a person as a professional in the real estate profession and this can/will only be enhanced further through continuous training/development, years of experience coupled with the skills and competences such a person possess in the course of working in the real estate industry.

I’m sure you might want to ask if graduates of estate management study can be regarded as Estate Surveyors and Valuers. Well, my response is in two-folds; Yes and No!

To buttress my points, I’ll quickly deviate a little in explaining the distinction between estate management graduates and registered Estate Surveyors and Valuers, and thereafter continue with the motive behind this blog post –  steps on how to become a registered Estate Surveyor and Valuer.   

DISTINCTION BETWEEN ESTATE MANAGEMENT GRAUDATES AND REGISTERED ESTATE SURVEYORS AND VALUERS

Estate management graduates and registered Estate Surveyors and Valuers are the two most active and recognized professionals in the real estate profession.

1.      The major distinction between graduates of estate management study and registered Estate Surveyors and Valuers is that the former is not fully elected, licensed and registered by either the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) (The Institution) as well as Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) (The Board) through the issuance of official stamp and seal in the former’s name to set up a professional Estate Surveying and Valuation firm or become a partner in a registered estate office for the sole purpose of carrying out real estate surveying and valuation activities. 

Such graduate could be a student member, graduate/probationer member of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), but yet to be registered with the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON). This may be partly due to either non-completion of the required professional qualifying examinations, meet the requirements set out by the professional bodies, or the graduate hasn’t written any of the professional qualifying examinations.

2.      Another distinction is that graduates of estate management study are not authorized and permitted to use the Estate Surveyor and Valuer (ESV) designation before their names. This is based on the laws and constitution of the professional association (NIESV and ESVARBON) regulating real estate professional practice in Nigeria.

3.      Graduates of estate management study practicing in the real estate profession can set up real estate consulting firms by registering a limited liability company with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) either as a sole proprietor or in partnership with two or more people, to carry out real estate and facility management business activities but are barred from setting up a registered professional estate surveying and valuation office by NIESV and ESVARBON because they have not been elected, registered, licensed and awarded the official stamp and seal to do likewise.

4.      While the latter – registered Estate Surveyors and Valuers – on the other hand are permitted and authorized by NIESV and ESVARBON to do any and/or even more of those things which the former can not do in the real estate profession because they have been duly elected, licensed and registered with issuance of official stamp and seal in their names to carry out any business transaction and professional services relating to estate surveying and valuation activities in Nigeria.

5.      Registered Estate Surveyors and Valuers could either be Associate members or Fellows of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) and are also entitled and permitted to use the Estate Surveyor and Valuer (ESV) designation before their names.

6 STEPS ON HOW TO BECOME AN ESTATE SURVEYOR AND VALUER

The Estate Surveyors and Valuers (Registration, etc) Decree No. 24 of 1975 now CAP E. 13 LFN 2007, makes adequate provisions for all those aspiring to become registered Estate Surveyors and Valuers in Nigeria. 

The various steps on how to become a registered Estate Surveyor and Valuer is:

·         Meet the requirements for membership

·         Write/submit application letter/form for membership

·         Pass the required professional qualifying examinations

·         Write professional thesis/undergo internship programme

·         Invitation for election interview

·         Induction ceremony with issuance of stamp and seal

1.                  MEET THE REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP

It is compulsory for all those aspiring to become registered Estate Surveyors and Valuers to meet up with the stipulated academic requirements by the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers. It is through meeting the stipulated requirements that the applicant will be considered for membership registration by the Institution.

The academic and registration requirements for all new membership applicants as stipulated by the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) and Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) are as follows

GRADUATES:

1. B.Sc. degree Certificate in Estate Management
2. FIVE (5) O’level results with credits in Mathematics, English, Economics and any two (2) of the following subjects; Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography, Commerce, Technical Drawing, Accounts and Fine Arts.
3. NYSC discharge certificate or exemption letter
4. Recommendation letter from an approved establishment under the supervision of an Associate Member of the Institution with at least 5 years experience as an Associate.

PROBATIONERS:

1. HND Certificate and ND Certificates
2. FIVE (5) O’level results with credits in Mathematics, English, Economics and any two (2) of the following subjects; Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography, Commerce, Technical Drawing, Accounts and Fine Arts.
3. NYSC discharge certificate or exemption letter
4. Recommendation letter from an approved establishment under the supervision of an Associate Member of the Institution with at least 5 years experience as an Associate.

STUDENTS:

1. ND Certificate
2. O’ Level Certificate - FIVE (5) O’level results with credits in Mathematics, English, Economics and any two (2) of the following subjects; Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography, Commerce, Technical Drawing, Accounts and Fine Arts.
3. Letter of recommendation from an approved industry bases supervisor/Employer.

All Members aspiring to be upgraded from the student to probationer or graduate membership after passing the N.I.E.S.V professional examinations or obtaining additional qualifications should write formally to the Education Committee of the Institution in order for the Committee to place them appropriately.

2.                  WRITE AND SUBMIT APPLICATION LETER/FORM FOR MEMBERSHIP

Anybody aspiring to become a registered Estate Surveyor and Valuer in Nigeria must write an official application letter for membership into the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, as well as filling out the membership application form. This is after such person must have met all the requirements set out by NIESV for registering as a member into the Institution.

The credentials, academic certificates and letter of recommendation from a registered Estate Surveyor and Valuer must be attached with the applicant’s membership application letter and application form to be submitted to the nearest NIESV’s office.

All successful applicants will be official written by the Institution to acknowledge the receipt of their membership application letter/form and also issue them with membership designation and numbers which they will use to sit for their various professional qualifying exams. 

The membership designation and number will be in this format: Student members; Sxxxx, Probationer members; Pxxxx, Graduate members; Gxxxx.

The membership designation and number issued to the applicants by the Institution is based on their academic qualifications and credentials.

3.                  PASS THE REQUIRED PROFESSIONAL QUALIFYING EXAMINATIONS

The next step towards becoming a registered Estate Surveyor and Valuer after the applicant has been official elected as a member of the Institution, is for such applicant to enroll for the necessary professional qualification examinations.

The professional qualifying examination stage/level which an applicant will enroll/sit for is determined by the credentials and academic qualifications which were submitted to the Institution with the applicant’s membership application letter/form. 

It is the duty and responsibility of the Institution in communicating to the aspiring applicants, the professional qualifying examinations stage/level they are meant to sit for.

The professional qualifying examinations been conducted for all those aspiring to become registered Estate Surveyors and Valuers in Nigeria is in four (4) stages. Each stage of the professional qualifying examinations is based on the credentials and academic qualifications of the applicants.

The Professional Qualifying Examinations Stages of NIESV are:

Membership Designation         Stage 1        Stage 2           Stage 3            Stage 4

Student Members                       PQE 1

ND Holders                                                      PQE 2          

HND/Probationers                                                                  PQE 3

B.Sc/Graduates                                                                                               PPE

Some Probationer Members can/will at the discretion of the Institution be permitted to write both Stage 3 (PQE 3) and Stage 4 (PPE) examinations respectively when applying for membership into the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers or be instructed to firstly write Stage 3 (PQE 3) before proceeding to write Stage 4 (PPE).

While some Graduate Members of the Institution can also be instructed to write both Stage 3 (PQE 3) and Stage 4 (PPE) examinations instead of write just the Stage 4 (PPE) only. This is also based on their credentials and academic qualifications.

PQE is an acronym for Professional Qualifying Examination, while PPE is stands for Professional Practice Examination

4.                  WRITE PROFESSIONAL THESIS AND UNDERGO INTERNSHIP 

The next step after successful completion of the various professional qualifying examination stages is for the applicant to propose a particular project topic to the Education Committee of NIESV. 

Once the project topic is approved, the applicant can go ahead in writing his/her professional thesis under strict supervision of a registered member (Associate or Fellow) of the NIESV who have been approved by the Institution for the applicant.

All aspiring persons are also mandated to go for compulsory Internship programme in a registered estate office during the course of writing their professional thesis. This is to enable them gain practical experiences into the day to day activities of working in a real estate office.

During their Internship programmes, the applicants are issued with a Log Book by the Institution to record all their daily activities while working in the registered estate office.

There is no need for all those already working in a registered estate office to go for another Internship programme, as it is assumed they will have gotten the necessary and required experience to be registered as an Estate Surveyor and Valuer. All they need do is to fill their daily activities in the Log Book that has been issued to them by the Institution.

5.                  INVITATION FOR ELECTION INTERVIEW

Once the applicants’ professional thesis submitted to the Institution is approved, the next step is for them to be invited for an election interview where they will be moderated by some selected registered members (mostly Associates and Fellows) of the Institution. 

It is very important for all those invited by the Institution for election interview to equip themselves with adequate information about the real estate profession as a whole, various government policies affecting real estate profession, Laws governing the real estate profession in Nigeria, Roles and responsibilities of NIESV and ESVARBON, Rules and regulations of the Institution, as well as current affairs.

After the election interview, the applicant (Probationer or Graduate Member) will be elected as an Associate member of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), and thereafter be registered with Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) at an induction ceremony.

6.                  INDUCTION CEREMONY/ISSUANCE OF OFFICIAL STAMP AND SEAL

The last step of becoming a registered Estate Surveyor and Valuer in Nigeria is by been issued with an official stamp and seal bearing the applicant’s name and number by the BOARD (Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria) and a certificate at an induction ceremony.

Before the applicant is issued an official stamp and seal, he/she must first obtain a registration form from the BOARD, which must be completed and submitted back to the BOARD. 

The BOARD will after receiving the applicant’s registration form request for references to be made on the applicant by either from qualified Estate Surveyors and Valuers (Associates and Fellows), present/past employer or from the last school attended in order to attest to the proficiency, character and conduct of such applicant.

The BOARD will then instruct the Registrar to register the name of the applicant in the register of the registered Estate Surveyors and Valuers once it is satisfied with all the information gathered about the applicant. 

The applicant on the other hand will be mandated to pay all the necessary registration fees and thereafter be inducted at a special ceremony as a registered Estate Surveyor and Valuer with the issuance of a certificate, official stamp and seal bearing the applicant’s name and registration number as a professional member of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (INSTITUTION) and Estate Surveyor and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (BOARD)

STATUTORY PROVISIONS FOR REGISTERING AS AN ESTATE SURVEYOR AND VALUER IN NIGERIA

Sections 8, 9 and 15 of the Estate Surveyors and Valuers (Registration, Etc) Decree No. 24 of 1975, now CAP E. 13 LFN 2007

Section 8 (1) states that “A person shall be entitled to be registered as an estate surveyor and valuer if-

 (a)  he passes the qualifying examination for membership recognized or conducted by the Board  under this Act and immediately before the commencement of this Act, he was a member of the  Institution; or

(b)  he holds a qualification granted outside Nigeria which for the time being is accepted by the  Board and he is by law entitled to practice for all purposes as an estate surveyor and valuer in the country in which the qualification was granted and, if the Board so requires, he satisfies the  Board that he has had sufficient practical experience as an estate surveyor and valuer”.

What this implies is that anybody aspiring to become a registered estate surveyor and valuer in Nigeria must mandatorily sit for and pass the necessary qualifying examinations that is been organized and conducted by the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) (Institution), and Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) (Board).

Before such a person can be allowed to sit for the necessary qualifying examinations, he/she must write an application letter to the Institution for registering as a member with attachment copies of his/her academic qualifications and credentials. 

It is based on the application for membership letter and academic qualifications that the applicant will be issued a membership registration number, membership grade, as well as the professional qualifying examination stage he/she is to sit for

EQUALITY FOR ALL PERSONS

There is no discrimination of persons aspiring to become registered Estate Surveyors and Valuers in Nigeria.

This is so, as the Act specifically gave equal right for whoever holds a recognized certificate that is accepted by the BOARD, has two or more years of practical experience in the real estate profession, and has passed all the required examinations of the BOARD, to be registered as an Estate Surveyor and Valuer in Nigeria.

Section 8 (Sub-section 2 a and b) states that “Subject as aforesaid, a person shall be entitled to be registered under this Act if-

(a)  he holds a certificate recognized by the Board and has had not less than two years' post   qualification practical experience in the profession; or

(b)  he has passed an examination approved by the Board and has had not less than two years'  post-qualification practical experience in the profession”.

This implies that all graduates from the built environment field (Architecture, Building Construction/Technology, Quantity Surveying, Land Surveying, Urban and Regional Planning, Civil Engineering and Project Management), Science and Engineering disciplines are welcome to become registered Estate Surveyors and Valuers if and when they so desires.

APPROVED QUALIFICATIONS, COURSES AND INSTITUTIONS 

Apart from estate management graduates or certificate holders, there is also an opportunity for anybody aspiring to become registered Estate Surveyor and Valuer to also be elected as a member of NIESV and thereafter be permitted to sit for the necessary professional qualifying examinations as set out by the BOARD, so long as their qualifications, course of study and institution attended is recognized and approved by the BOARD. 

Sections 8 (4) and Sections 9 (Sub-section a-c) explains these provisions.

Section 8 (4) states that “The Board may in its absolute discretion provisionally accept a qualification produced in respect of an application for registration under this section, or direct that the application for registration be renewed within such period as may be specified in the direction”.

 Section 9 (1) states that “For the purpose of section 8 of this Act, the Board may approve-

(a)  any institution, whether in Nigeria or elsewhere, which the Board considers is  properly  organized and equipped for conducting a course of training approved  by the Board under this section;

(b)    any course of training which is intended for persons who are seeking to  become, or are already members of the profession and which the Board considers is designed to confer on persons completing it sufficient knowledge and skill   for the practice of the profession; and

(c)   any qualification which, as a result of examination taken in conjunction with the course of training approved by the Board under this section, is granted to candidates reaching a standard at the examination indicating, in the opinion  of the Board, that they have sufficient knowledge and skill to practice the  profession”.

PUBLICATION OF APPROVED QUALIFICATIONS

The Act in Section 9 (2) mandates the BOARD to; from time to time publish in the Federal Gazette, lists of approved qualifications for registering as an Estate Surveyor and Valuer in Nigeria

Section 9 (2) states that “The Board shall, from time to time, publish in the Federal Gazette a list of qualifications approved by it, and subject thereto shall not approve any qualification granted by an institution in Nigeria unless such qualification has been included in the list published by the Board”.

REGISTRATION OF NON-NIGERIAN CITIZENS

The Act in Section 15 (Sub-sections 1-3) also make provisions for any non-Nigerian citizen who has gain employment in a registered Estate Surveying and Valuation office in Nigeria to be temporarily registered as an Estate Surveyor and Valuer, if such person holds a qualification and/or has passed an examination that is approved and accepted by the BOARD.

Section 15 (1) states that “Where a person satisfies the Board-

(a)    that he has been selected for employment for a specific period in a capacity in which a person registered as an estate surveyor and valuer under this Act is qualified to be employed and that he is or intends to be in Nigeria temporarily  for the purpose of serving for that period in the employment in question; and

(b)    that he holds a qualification or has passed examinations necessary for obtaining some qualification granted outside Nigeria which is for the time being  accepted by the Board as respects the capacity in which, if employed, he is to serve, the Board may, if it thinks fit, give a direction that he shall be temporarily registered as an estate surveyor and valuer.

(2)  The temporary registration of a person shall continue only while he is in such employment as is mentioned in subsection (1) (a) of this section and shall cease at the end of the period of the employment specified to the Board under that subsection or on the prior determination of the employment, whichever first occurs:

Provided that nothing in this subsection shall preclude the Board from giving a further direction under subsection (1) of this section in respect of a specified period whose commencement coincides with the termination or prior determination of another such employment.

(3)  A person who is temporarily registered shall, in relation to his employment as mentioned in subsection (1) (a) of this section, and to things done or omitted to be done in the course of that employment, be deemed to be fully registered, but in relation to all other matters he shall be treated as not so registered”.

I hope with my explanations on the various steps one will take in becoming an Estate Surveyor and Valuer in Nigeria, you will be encouraged to become a registered Estate Surveyor and Valuer as well.

ABOUT ME

I am a Higher National Diploma (HND) holder of Estate Management from the prestigious Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos state, Nigeria. I also possess a Professional Practice Certificate in Estate Surveying and Valuation from the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV).

I am the principal consultant of Aakient Consultants Ltd, a highly progressive and consolidated property and construction project management company, which is committed to providing the highest level of professionalism and services in meeting clients’ real estate needs.

Feel free to contact me at: aakientconsultants@gmail.com