Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Code of practice definition

What does Code of practice mean? In legal practice, a code of practice is authoritative written guidance setting standards and procedures that organisations and individuals are expected to follow in a particular regulatory area. The term is descriptive rather than a single statutory definition; a code’s legal weight depends on the legislation under which it is made or approved and on case law. Across the UK and Ireland, many codes have statutory status: courts and tribunals may, or must, take them into account, and non-compliance is persuasive evidence of breach even though a code is not, by itself, law. Examples include: the ACAS Code of...

RICS commercial service charges code (3rd ed, archived): key principles, exclusions, apportionment and lease drafting guidance for solicitors

Published by a LexisNexis Property expert

Practice notes

ARCHIVED:

The third edition of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) code of practice, ‘Service charges in commercial property’—together with all earlier iterations—has been superseded by the inaugural RICS professional statement, entitled ‘Service charges in commercial property’, which is effective for every service charge period commencing on or after 1 April 2019.

The professional statement sets out new compulsory duties for RICS members and RICS‑regulated firms, intended to make service charges for commercial tenants transparent, upfront and fair, and to ensure that any costs incurred in repairing or maintaining their buildings comply fully with the terms of their lease.

Please note, therefore, that this Practice Note describes the historic position under the superseded third edition, for information and reference purposes only, and will not be updated further. See the Practice Note: A review of the RICS Professional Standard on Service Charges in Commercial Property (1st edition) [Archived] for additional guidance on the professional statement and the differences from the third edition.

The third edition of the RICS code of practice for commercial service charges (the Code) took effect on 4 February 2014. The Code aims to:

encourage best practice, consistency, fairness and transparency
ensure...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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