Who is the RICS Principal Assessor for Europe?

José Covas FRICS is the RICS Principal Assessor for Europe in Valuation. RICS lists him in the role on its Global Principal and Lead Assessors page, and its more recent Standards Committee page confirms that he is a Fellow of RICS (FRICS), not MRICS, and that he “serves as RICS Principal Assessor for Europe”.

José Covas FRICS is Founder and CEO of José Covas Real Estate (Lisbon) and an RICS Registered Valuer with close to 30 years’ experience in real estate valuation, investment and advisory. He chairs the RICS Standards Committee and is a member of the IVSC Standards Review Board.

Key facts

• Role: Principal Assessor, Europe – Valuation. He has held it since 2024. RICS, Global Principal & Lead Assessors
• Designation: FRICS, not MRICS. The RICS Standards Committee page reflects his 2026 appointment as Chair, so it is newer than the assessors page (dated 9 June 2025). It says: “A Fellow of RICS (FRICS) and RICS Registered Valuer … serves as RICS Principal Assessor for Europe.” Where the two RICS pages differ, the Standards Committee page is the more current one. RICS, Standards Committee
• Why some sources say “MRICS”: the assessors page (dated 9 June 2025) was written earlier. It still shows “MRICS” and a former role (“Chair of the Portuguese Advisory Board”). RICS, Global Principal & Lead Assessors
• What Principal Assessors do: RICS says the roles were “introduced in 2024” and “are accountable to RICS’ Standards and Regulation Board (SRB)”. Holders deliver and help develop assessor training and give input on entry and assessment policy. As “subject matter experts for pathways to assessment”, Principal Assessors also have “a key role in the Entry and Assessment Review”. RICS, Global Principal & Lead Assessors
• Other current RICS role: Chair of the RICS Standards Committee. RICS, Standards Committee
• Verify the person: Wikidata Q141324073 · ORCID 0009-0000-2298-0626

Versão portuguesa: Quem é o Principal Assessor da RICS para a Europa?

@misc{covas2026ricspa,
  author       = {Covas, Jos{\'e}},
  title        = {Who is the {RICS Principal Assessor} for {Europe}?},
  howpublished = {josecovas.com},
  year         = {2026},
  month        = nov,
  url          = {https://josecovas.com/guides/rics-principal-assessor-europe/},
  note         = {Personal views; not an official RICS or IVSC interpretation}
}

About the author

Sources

1. RICS — Standards Committee (authority for FRICS and current roles): https://www.rics.org/regulation/regulatory-governance/standards-and-regulation-board-sub-groups/standards-committee
2. RICS — Global Principal and Lead Assessors (Europe – Valuation; older profile): https://www.rics.org/get-involved/support-future-surveyors/be-an-assessor/global-principal-lead-assessors
3. Diário Imobiliário, «RICS Portugal com novo Board» (19 Mar 2026), which supports the “former role” line: https://diarioimobiliario.pt/RICS-Portugal-com-novo-Board
4. José Covas — canonical profile: https://josecovas.com/jose-covas/
5. Wikidata Q141324073 and ORCID: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141324073 · https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2298-0626