Professional standards guidance note 5
Offering planning services to members of the public
Version 05.01 February 2026
The RTPI Code of Professional Conduct (the Code) sets out the required standards of professional conduct and practice expected of RTPI members. Its purpose is to protect and guide practitioners, and to serve as a tool to maintain public trust in the profession. All members, irrespective of their class of membership, are required to adhere to its five core principles:
- Honesty and integrity;
- Professional competence;
- Independent professional judgment;
- Professional practice and duties;
- Professional behaviour and respect.
This guidance has been prepared to support RTPI Members on their professional responsibilities with regard to offering planning services to members of the public. It applies where a charge is being made and when the services are offered for free or for other (non-cash) benefits.
The Code of Professional Conduct has a number of clauses that are applicable when members provide advice and other services to members of the public. The relevant parts of the Code are within clauses 1, 7, 10, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24 which state:
- Members are required to uphold the highest standards of professional ethics and must act with honesty and integrity throughout their career.
- Members shall act competently, conscientiously and responsibly and to this end are expected to apply reasonable standards of skill, knowledge and care in the performance of all their work, with the understanding that Members have a duty to their employers, clients, colleagues and others.
- Members must act within the scope of their professional competence in undertaking the professional planning services they are employed or commissioned to do. Members must therefore undertake to perform those services only when they, together with those whom they may engage as employees or consultants are sufficiently qualified by education, training or experience in the specific areas involved.
- Members must base their professional advice on relevant, reliable and supportable evidence and present the results of data and analysis clearly and without improper manipulation.
- Before commencing work on any planning services, Members must:
- ensure that their terms of engagement, which includes a written fee agreement and clear indication as to the likely fees and expenses and a description of the services proposed, have been given and confirmed in writing to their clients; and
- satisfy themselves that these terms have been understood and accepted.
- Members must honour the terms of engagement provided unless there is written agreement to a variation.
- Members must notify their clients in writing before undertaking planning work or incurring fees or expenses additional to those previously agreed and satisfy themselves that the necessary instructions have been received.
- When accepting instructions Members must ensure that the services offered are appropriate and proportionate to the client’s requirements.
- Members engaging in planning practice must, where applicable, be insured against claims for breach of professional duty. Members must therefore comply with any supplementary regulations on compulsory professional indemnity insurance.
- Members who are responsible for holding client money must take reasonable steps to account separately for those funds in order to protect them and must return any money held as soon as practicable following a written request to do so.
- Members who, as employers or managers, have responsibility for the work of an organisation or body engaged in planning work must take all reasonable steps to ensure that planning matters in the organisation or body are conducted in accordance with this Code.
- Members must not make derogatory comparisons with the services available from others engaged in planning work and must not misrepresent the services available from their own practices. All advertising must be legal, decent, honest and truthful and must avoid exaggeration.
- When canvassing instructions from a client, members must:
- indicate that the existing professional adviser (if any) should be consulted;
- not canvass repeatedly or persistently nor continue canvassing instructions from individuals or clients who have clearly stated that they do not require the services offered.
- Members must comply with any supplementary regulations on the use of RTPI logos.1. Members are required to uphold the highest standards of professional ethics and must act with honesty and integrity throughout their career.
Appropriateness
The Code requires RTPI Members to provide services that are appropriate to their client’s requirements. Organisations and consultants offering planning services should only bid for commissions or agree to take on work which they are competent and qualified to undertake. The decision should be based upon a realistic assessment of the skills and expertise available to you. This includes consultants or external associates with whom you have a professional relationship or within your organisation.
Any limitations to an organisation’s professional competence should be identified and discussed with the client. All services offered as part of a commission should be appropriate to the client’s requirements. However, you may need to help the client identify the scope and key issues as they may not always correspond with their initial understanding of a situation.
Advertising
The Code requires RTPI Members to disclose their professional status where possible, as a mark of professional standing. When advertising your services you should ensure that any materials used are accurate, truthful and do not make misleading claims about the scope of the services offered. Materials should not unfairly discredit other RTPI Members or encourage unacceptable behaviour particularly in attempts to ‘poach’ work from other planning consultancies.
When canvassing for work, for example by writing to potential clients obtained from the Planning Register in an area, it is important to ensure that you advise them to consult with any existing professional adviser that they have engaged (if any) and that repeated letters are not sent.
Case study example:
A consultant wrote speculatively to a prospective client offering planning services but without advising that the prospective client should consult their existing adviser. The member had therefore breached the Code of Professional Conduct.
Logo
The RTPI logo is an instantly recognisable image which can be used to promote your business. The logo can be used by Chartered Members, Legal Associates and practices employing two or more Chartered Town Planners.
If you are using the RTPI logo at a practice where you are the only Chartered Member, you must make it clear that the relationship with the RTPI is with you individually and not your practice.
The use of relevant designatory letters (such as MRTPI for Chartered Town Planners) is expected on professional correspondence, where possible, as a mark of professional standing. On letterheads and websites, the RTPI logo should be displayed in the footer and not positioned next to any other logo to indicate a partnership between the two. On email signatures, the RTPI logo should be underneath your contact details and not positioned next to other logos.
Full details on how to use the RTPI logo can be found here: Use of the RTPI logo - supplementary regulations
Full details on how to use your post-nominals can be found here: Use of designations and post-nominals - supplementary guidance
Terms of engagement and fees
The Code requires RTPI Members to ensure services and fees are appropriate and clearly indicated. Businesses are required to ensure that their terms of engagement are set out in writing and agreed prior to starting work. Any additional work to that previously agreed should also be set out in writing and confirmed as being acceptable to the client before it is undertaken. Hourly rates, with no upper limit or estimate of hours to be worked, are not normally considered to be sufficient to meet this requirement. There are various means of managing written terms such as providing updated terms at key stages of a project.
Case study example:
A consultant took on a commission from a member of the public without setting out in writing what the commission was, or the fee to be charged. They had verbally stated their hourly rate. The RTPI Member was in breach of the Code. They should have in place procedures to ensure that a written contract stating the nature of the work, and fees to be charged, are always issued before starting work.
Unclear fee rates or terms with clients are a cause of dissatisfaction and can lead to complaints against RTPI Members. You might also find yourself in situations where the client will dispute payment. It is therefore good practice to send the client a covering letter or proposal with the terms of engagement that:
- Set out clearly what the practice is being asked to do (the brief);
- State the appropriate hourly or daily rates, car mileage rate, and any additional fee arrangement; and
- Detail the arrangements for payment.
Case study example:
A complaint was lodged against an RTPI Member alleging a failure to adhere to the requirement to provide written terms of engagement. The planner did set out their terms of engagement in writing to the client and obtain the clients approval, but part way through the instruction the RTPI Member became VAT registered and so added VAT to the client’s invoice. The consultant then went on to carry out additional work on an appeal which was not covered within the scope of the terms of engagement provided. The RTPI Member was found to be in breach of the Code for failing to honour the terms of engagement originally provided and failing to obtain the client’s consent to the VAT being added. A further breach arose from undertaking work on the appeal thereby incurring additional fees to those previously agreed.
Where clients do not pay the invoices submitted, planning consultants may wish to withdraw a planning application or letter they have submitted to a local authority. In doing so, the consultant would be acting against the instructions of their client and therefore this would be a breach of clause 7 of the Code which requires them to act with due care and have a responsibility to their clients. The appropriate action would be to seek payment through the Courts.
Case study example:
A consultant member was found to have breached the Code for failing to exercise due care in withdrawing a planning application without the applicant’s consent. The member had also failed to retain his files. The member received a reprimand.
Professional Indemnity Insurance
All members who are offering planning services to the public are required to hold professional indemnity insurance and detailed Supplementary Regulations setting out the requirements can be found at: Professional Indemnity Insurance - supplementary regulations
You will need insurance if you:
- are a director or partner in a firm offering planning services to the public, other professional or clients; or
- are employed in a firm offering planning services; or
- are a private or freelance consultant (including full time, part time, voluntary or on an ad hoc or occasional basis); or
- act as an unpaid adviser to organisations or people (including family, friends and acquaintances).
Professional Indemnity Insurance may be provided by your employer so it is important to check what cover they retain. Registered volunteers who provide planning advice through the RTPI’s Planning Aid England service are covered and would not require separate insurance for this specific work.
The RTPI monitors PII cover in a proportion of members each year, and any planning consultant who is subject to a complaint to the RTPI will need to provide evidence of their PII cover. A failure to hold appropriate Professional Indemnity Insurance would normally result in a suspension of membership.
Managing Practices Offering Services to the Public
Where you are responsible for a planning consultancy or other agency that offers services to the public, it is important that you take responsibility to ensure that all work carried out by the organisation accords with the Code of Professional Conduct, even if you do not actually carry out the work yourself. This may include:
- ensuring that the organisation has appropriate systems to issue detailed letters of engagement;
- ensuring that there are systems to identify potential conflicts of interest;
- ensuring that professional indemnity insurance is held;
- ensuring that all advertising is correct and meets the Codes requirements;
- ensuring that all staff act responsibly and with due care and that advice given is appropriate.
This is not intended to be an exhaustive list but provides examples of how a member may be responsible not just for their actions but for those that are carried out by others within the organisation that they are responsible for.
Case study example:
A Member was a Director of a planning consultancy, and the only Director with membership of the RTPI. As a result responsibility lay with the Member to ensure that the work of the company met the requirements of the Code of Professional Conduct. Those responsibilities included ensuring that the quality of work carried out by other planning staff was appropriate, that full and detailed terms of engagement were issued to all clients, that all advertising was appropriate and correct and that the correct RTPI logos were used in company material. Whilst it did not fall to the member to carry out all of the actions required to meet these requirements, there was an obligation as an employer or manager to take reasonable steps to ensure compliance with the Code. The Institute found that the member failed to discharge an appropriate level of responsibility for managing or supervising those who undertook these activities and therefore breached the Code of Professional Conduct.