# How should a UK survey firm show its RICS status and other professional memberships on its website?

By Pat, Harvey Rupert (https://harveyrupert.com/about/). Published 2026-10-30. Last reviewed 2026-10-30.
Canonical: https://harveyrupert.com/uk/guides/showing-rics-status-and-memberships-on-your-website/

**Short answer:** Show each mark beside what it covers, in the owning body's own wording, and link to that body's register or scheme page. RICS and the Geospatial Survey Association (GSA), formerly The Survey Association (TSA), are professional bodies a firm might belong to, not requirements. Name only what the firm holds today, put a checked-on date on the page, and remove anything that lapses.

This guide is about where and how a UK survey firm shows professional marks on its website. It names the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the GSA, PUMA and PAS 128 as bodies, schemes and specifications that a firm might belong to, hold or work to. It does not say a firm must belong to any of them, and it does not say that any firm does. It does not interpret their rules: where a body publishes rules, the guide points to them.

## What should a mark on your page say, and what should it leave out?

Three habits keep a mark honest.

- **Use the body's own words.** Where a body gives wording for a status or membership, use it as given. Do not swap in a stronger word, such as "approved" or "accredited", for the one the body uses.
- **Say who holds it.** A mark can belong to the firm, to a named person or to a scheme the company has passed. Write which.
- **Say nothing you cannot evidence.** The [Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)](https://www.asa.org.uk/) expects claims about professional memberships to be accurate and truthful. That is general guidance and not legal advice, and this guide is not legal advice either.

RICS and the GSA are professional bodies a firm might belong to. Neither is a licence. A site can be clear and honest without either, and nothing here suggests otherwise.

## Where does each mark belong on the site?

Some marks cover the whole firm, some a person and some one kind of work. For a firm-wide mark, follow the body's own guidance on where it goes. Put a person-level or scheme-level mark beside what it covers.

| Page | Mark | What to say | Link to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Header or footer | A firm-level mark, if the firm holds one | The body's wording and logo as the body gives them | [RICS's page on using its logo](https://www.rics.org/regulation/regulatory-schemes/firm-regulation/use-of-the-rics-logo) |
| About or team page | Individual membership held by a named person | The person's name and the designation as the body describes it | [RICS Find a Member](https://www.rics.org/find-a-member) |
| Utility survey page | PUMA accreditation, if the company holds it, or PAS 128 if the work is done to it | The scheme's or specification's own name, and which of the two you mean | [GSA PUMA page](https://www.gsa-uk.org.uk/puma/) |
| Topographical, land and measured building survey pages | Only a mark that relates to that work | One short line | Your credentials page |
| Quote and enquiry page | Insurance, if true and current | One line | Your credentials page |
| Credentials page | Every mark, with who holds it and a checked-on date | Each body's own wording | Each body's own page |

Our site templates give each credential its own block with an optional link to the body behind it, and use text badges rather than third-party logos by default.

## How do you show RICS status and membership?

RICS publishes its own rules on how firms and members may describe their status and use its marks. Check them on rics.org before you publish, and use the wording RICS gives. [RICS's page on using its logo](https://www.rics.org/regulation/regulatory-schemes/firm-regulation/use-of-the-rics-logo) is the place to start. This guide does not summarise those rules, because only the current RICS version counts.

If you use a RICS logo, take it from RICS, not from another website, and follow the terms RICS gives. If your firm appears in a directory, make sure your own page says only what applies to your firm.

## How do you show membership of the GSA?

The GSA is a professional body a firm might belong to. On your own page, name it in full on first mention and give the old name once: "Geospatial Survey Association (GSA), formerly The Survey Association (TSA)". Buyers may search either name.

- Write "member of the Geospatial Survey Association". Do not write "GSA approved" or "GSA accredited" unless the association's own scheme says so for the thing you hold.
- The association's site, [gsa-uk.org.uk](https://www.gsa-uk.org.uk/), has a Find a surveyor search. Link to the association rather than reproducing its claims.
- Ask the association for the current logo files and any terms of use. Do not copy an older logo from an old website.

## How do you describe PAS 128 and PUMA?

These are two different things, and a utility survey page should say which one applies.

- **PAS 128:2022** is the name of a specification published by BSI: *Underground utility detection, verification and location. Specification*. A utility survey firm may work to it. If yours does, link to [BSI's page for it](https://knowledge.bsigroup.com/products/pas-128-underground-utility-detection-verification-and-location-specification).
- **PUMA** is an accreditation scheme for utility surveying companies, with its own page on the GSA's site. If your company holds it, say so in the scheme's own words and link to [the GSA's PUMA page](https://www.gsa-uk.org.uk/puma/).

So "we work to PAS 128" and "we hold PUMA accreditation" are separate statements. Use only the one that is true. The scheme accredits companies, so name the company that holds it. If the scheme gives a renewal or expiry date, put it in your checking schedule.

## What should an insurance statement say?

Say what is true and current. "Professional indemnity insured" is a complete statement if it is correct today. Do not state a cover amount or name an insurer unless the firm confirms it and will keep it up to date. Link the statement to your policy renewal date in the review schedule, so the page never says "insured" after the policy has lapsed.

## How do you keep the marks current?

Put a visible line on your credentials page: "Credentials last checked on" and the date. Then keep it true.

- Name one person who owns the page.
- Check each named person's membership and each company-level mark against the body's own page on a set schedule, and whenever someone joins or leaves.
- Check each insurance statement against the policy renewal date.
- When a mark lapses, remove it everywhere the same day, not only from the credentials page.

The wider site checklist, which applies in both countries, is in [what a surveying firm's website needs](https://harveyrupert.com/guides/what-a-surveying-firms-website-needs/), and the enquiry page is covered in [the guide to quote request forms for survey firms](https://harveyrupert.com/uk/guides/quote-request-form-for-survey-firms/).

## What is the one-page checklist?

<ul class="checklist" id="marks-checklist">
<li>RICS, the GSA and PUMA are described as bodies and schemes the firm belongs to or holds, never as requirements.</li>
<li>Each mark uses the owning body's exact wording and links to the body's own page or register.</li>
<li>The page says who holds each mark: the firm, a named person or the company under a scheme.</li>
<li>RICS wording and logos are used as RICS's own current rules say, checked on rics.org before publishing.</li>
<li>Individual member designations appear only against people who hold them.</li>
<li>The GSA is named in full on first mention, with its former name given once.</li>
<li>PAS 128 and PUMA accreditation are stated separately, and only the true one is used.</li>
<li>Logos come from the body, not from another website.</li>
<li>The insurance line is true and current, with no cover amount unless the firm confirms it.</li>
<li>The credentials page shows a checked-on date.</li>
<li>One person owns the page and has a schedule for checking it.</li>
<li>Anything that has lapsed is removed everywhere the same day.</li>
</ul>

## Sources

1. [Use of the RICS logo](https://www.rics.org/regulation/regulatory-schemes/firm-regulation/use-of-the-rics-logo), RICS, Checked 30 October 2026
2. [Rules for the use of the RICS logo and designation by firms (version 6, in effect from 2 February 2022)](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/standards/rules-for-the-use-of-the-rics-logo-and-designation-by-firms_feb2022.pdf), RICS, Checked 30 October 2026
3. [Find a Member](https://www.rics.org/find-a-member), RICS, Checked 30 October 2026
4. [The Geospatial Survey Association (home page, with Find a surveyor)](https://www.gsa-uk.org.uk/), Geospatial Survey Association, Checked 30 October 2026
5. [PUMA: the PAS128 accreditation scheme for utility surveying companies](https://www.gsa-uk.org.uk/puma/), Geospatial Survey Association, Checked 30 October 2026
6. [PAS 128:2022 Underground utility detection, verification and location. Specification](https://knowledge.bsigroup.com/products/pas-128-underground-utility-detection-verification-and-location-specification), BSI, Published 30 April 2022; checked 30 October 2026
7. [Official endorsements](https://www.asa.org.uk/advice-online/official-endorsements.html), Advertising Standards Authority and Committee of Advertising Practice, Checked 30 October 2026
8. [CAP Code, section 3: Misleading advertising](https://www.asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_section/03.html), Advertising Standards Authority and Committee of Advertising Practice, Checked 30 October 2026

Website advice only. Not surveying or legal advice. Drafted with AI help and reviewed by Pat before publishing. (https://harveyrupert.com/how-we-use-ai/)

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