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:
- B.Sc. degree Certificate in Estate Management
- 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.
- NYSC discharge certificate or exemption letter
- 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:
- HND Certificate and ND Certificates
- 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.
- NYSC discharge certificate or exemption letter
- 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:
- ND Certificate
- 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.
- 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
