Surveyors board to register unlicensed estate agents

Give us a brief history of ESVARBON.The Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board (ESVARBON) has been in existence for over 38 years and was established by Decree No. 24 of 1975 now Cap. E13 LFN 2007. The law setting up the board, empowered it to regulate the practice of estate surveying and valuation in all […]

Give us a brief history of ESVARBON.
The Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board (ESVARBON) has been in existence for over 38 years and was established by Decree No. 24 of 1975 now Cap. E13 LFN 2007. The law setting up the board, empowered it to regulate the practice of estate surveying and valuation in all its aspects and ramifications through the country, with the specific powers to determine who are estate surveyors and valuers.
ESVARBON also determines what standards of knowledge and skill are to be attained by persons seeking to become registered as estate surveyors and valuers and reviewing such standards from time to time for the purpose of raising them, securing in accordance with the provisions of the enabling Act, the establishment and maintenance of a register of persons to practise as estate surveyors and valuers and the publication from time to time of lists of such persons.
The board also regulates and controls the practice of estate surveying and valuation in all its aspects and ramifications.
 
Why was the Abuja office re-located?
The board’s presence in Abuja was not pronounced and there was urgent need to upgrade the Abuja office to a regional office to serve the interest of our members in the Northern parts of Nigeria. The board’s office in Abuja has now been re-located to a more spacious and descent space within the BASSAN Plaza, along the Independent Avenue, Central Business District, Abuja.
 
How many registered estate surveyors and valuers do we have in Nigeria?
The current registered members are 3,395. This is still a far cry from the desired number needed to effectively serve the population of Nigeria. Efforts are on, however to increase the registered members to over 6,500 before the end of the tenure of the current Board, which was formally inaugurated by the Federal Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development on October 24, 2013.

What is the difference between ESVARBON and the Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers NIESV?
ESVARBON is the Federal Government Regulatory Board that regulates the practice of estate surveying and valuation in all its aspects and ramifications through Nigeria. The NIESV is the professional association of estate surveyors and valuers in Nigeria.
 
Please explain the recent move by ESVARBON to register unlicensed estate agents.
Estate agency practice, including auctioneering are aspects of estate surveying and valuation. The NIESV recently formed the Association of Estate Agents of Nigeria in order to properly monitor and upgrade the standard of practice by those who wish to specialize in estate agency.
Also, the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria recently approved the registration of estate agents, in order to monitor and properly regulate the practice of estate agency in Nigeria.
To this end, a separate Register of Estate Agents has been created by ESVARBON to register members of the public who wish to practise estate agency alone. The rules and regulations and the code of practice have been put in place by the board and members of the Estate Agents Association of Nigeria that meet the minimum standard of practice will be duly registered to practise estate agency in all the states of Nigeria. The board will now be in a good position to properly monitor and regulate the practice of Estate Agency in all the states of Nigeria. The “war against quacks” in estate agency is now fully on.
 
What is ESVARBON and NIESV doing to improve standards of valuation practice by members?
ESVARBON, in collaboration with the NIESV, will prepare practice notes and guidance notes to assist members to upgrade their knowledge to the level acceptable in valuation practice internationally. The board has adopted the International Valuation Standards (IVS) and all efforts are on to ensure that all registered estate surveyors and valuers achieve the IVS Level.