ProForms

Registration, logging-in and passwords

• I'm unable to log in
• How do I change my password?
• I have tried to reset my password but have not received an email
• I work on my own, can I prevent others from seeing what I'm doing?
• I work in a team, can I work collaboratively?
• How can my colleague join my account?
• How do I approve my colleague's registration?
• The system says my colleague doesn't belong to the account I wish to join
• What is the difference between academic and business accounts?
• How can I view the ProForms useage Terms & Conditions?

The form-filling process

• How do I work with forms?
• What is the reference for?
• How does the checkout process work?
• What is an "associated form"?
• Can I see what my form will look like before I finally publish it?
• What does locking a form mean?
• I can't edit my draft form - the link is grey and doesn't work
• Can I spell check my form?
• Where do I download my published PDF from?
• Can I electronically sign a form?
• I find the text I'm editing is too small, can I make it larger?
• I'm being told that data in a table is being shared, what does this mean?
• What are the consequences of reverting a completed form back to draft?
• What is archiving?

Managing your account finances

• How do I add funds to my account?
• Is your online transaction system secure?
• Can I check my balance and see past transactions?
• Why are certain forms offered for free?

I'm unable to log in

• Check that you are using the correct email address and password. Note that the password is case sensitive.
• If you chose to join an existing account when registering, a current member of that account will have to approve you before you are able to log in. They can do this at any time.
• If you have forgotten your password you can get a new one sent to your email address by clicking on "Forgotten your password?" and following the instructions.
• If you have changed or forgotten the email address you used to register, please contact us for further assistance.

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How do I change my password?

• If you have forgotten your password you can get a new one sent to your email address by clicking on "Forgotten your password?" and following the instructions.
• If you have logged in and wish to change your password, click on the My Details tab and fill out the required information in the box on the right. Using this method also means that your password is reset immediately and you don't have to wait for an email.

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I have tried to reset my password but have not received an email

• Password reset emails should normally be received almost instantly, but can take up to two hours in some circumstances.
• Check your junk / spam email folder to ensure your email client hasn't marked it as spam.
• If you still have not received anything after two hours, then contact us.

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I work on my own, can I prevent others from seeing what I'm doing?

• By default the only person who can see activity on your account is the person using your username and password. As long as you keep these safe, no one else can see your information.
• It is possible to work with others on your account but you have to approve their registration before they can do so. Unless and until someone requests to join your account and you approve it, the only access to your account is through the username and password you have set.

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I work in a team, can I work collaboratively?

• By default the only person who can see activity on your account is the first person who has registered. However, additional people can join your account at any time, although their registration has to be approved before they can start work. Scroll down to the help topic below for more information on joining and approving account registrations.
• As many people as you wish can work on your account, as long as they have been approved.
• Choose the Account tab, then the Members option to see who currently belongs to your account.
• People can be removed from your account at any time if the need arises.
• The system operates a peer relationship - you do not need to be an Administrator or have any special rights to add or remove people from the account. Once your registration has been approved you can then go on to approve other registrations or remove users. This arrangement makes the system powerful and flexible but we advise caution if you are unsure whether an individual should be added/removed from the account.

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How can my colleague join my account?

• If you wish to be able to share credit and have common access to forms created by your colleagues, you must all belong to the same account.
• Your colleague must choose "I want to join an existing business account" when registering.
• They should quote the email address that you registered with during the registration process.
• They will not be able to log in until you or another account member have approved their registration.

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How do I approve my colleague's registration?

• Log in and select "Account" then choose the "Members" navigation option and you will see a list of pending members.
• Click to approve the individual(s) you wish to give access to your account.
• Any existing account member can approve new members.

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The system says my colleague doesn't belong to the account I wish to join

• Check that your colleague is not registered under a different email address to the one you are quoting during registration.
• It is possible that your colleague's registration is still pending. You can wait for a current member to approve them, or quote the email address of another colleague that is already approved.
• If you are still unable to join an account, contact us for assistance.

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What is the difference between academic and business accounts?

• Academic accounts may only have one user.
• Business accounts may have any number of people working collaboratively.
• Academic accounts primarily exist to aid in learning, generally as part of exploration of a wider topic covering a specific surveying discipline.

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How can I view the ProForms useage Terms & Conditions?

• Click here to view the terms and conditions.
  Terms and conditions ProForms ('the Service') is supplied by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) whose principal place of business is 12 Great George Street, London SW1P 3AD. The Service provides materials, documents, reports and information ('Materials') from many sources and contributors ('Contributors') and is updated by RICS from time to time. The following terms and conditions apply to use of the Service by individual person or organisation subscribers ('Subscribers'), by employees or companies duly authorised by an organisation which is a Subscriber or any other person authorised by RICS. ('Authorised Users'). References to an Unauthorised Person means any person who is neither a Subscriber nor an Authorised User. 1. Acceptance of Terms and Conditions Your use of the Service will be subject to these terms and conditions and the RICS websites Terms and Conditions at http://www.rics.org/terms (“the Terms and Conditions”). You consent to these Terms and Conditions when you use the Service. If you disagree with any part of the Terms and Conditions, please refrain from using the Service. 2. Registration and privacy of your data 2.1 All Subscribers are required to complete the registration process. 2.2 For registration and use of the Service a username is required which will be the email address you supply. During registration you will create a confidential password to be used when using the Service. You must keep your password confidential at all times, and must not disclose it to anyone else or permit anyone else to use it. Any breach of any of these terms by anyone to whom you disclose the password will be treated as if the breach had been committed by you, and will not relieve you of your obligations under these terms and conditions. 2.3 In the event of any failure or error in the operation of a password you shall cease using the password and exit the Service immediately, and notify RICS of such failure or error. RICS reserves the right to change, or to require you to change, your password at any time at its sole discretion. 2.4 RICS reserves the right to disable any password, whether chosen by you or allocated by us, at any time, if in our opinion, you have failed to comply with any of these terms. 2.5 RICS may monitor your use of the Service including any information you post so as to generally improve the Service and to retain records to be used in the event of complaints or customer service issues. However, RICS accepts no obligation to monitor the use of the Service. 2.6 RICS stores and processes data strictly in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Such processes and uses of personal information are set out in our Privacy Policy http://www.rics.org/privacy. By using the Service, you consent to such processing and you warrant that all data provided by you is accurate. 2.7 RICS will also in its absolute discretion fully co-operate with law enforcement and other relevant authorities and may disclose any information as required by law and/or relating to any investigation of suspected unlawful activity, intellectual property right infringements or violation of network security. 3. Licence 3.1 Authorised Users and Subscribers during the period of their subscription may use the Service and the Materials that appear on it from time to time in connection with their business activities or research, and for this purpose may: (a) display the Materials on screen; (b) make printouts or electronically transmit items included in the Materials using the printing commands contained in the Service; and (c) download and store in machine readable form the Materials for the Subscriber's or Authorised Users' exclusive use. 4. Restrictions on Use 4.1 Authorised Users and Subscribers may not, except to the extent expressly set out in these terms: (a) abstract, download, store, reproduce, transmit, display, copy, distribute or use the Materials other than as permitted by these terms and conditions; (b) register for the Service more than once; (c) create or allow to be created any alternative forms model using the Materials from the Service; (d) spider or otherwise access the Service by any automated means with a view to re-selling the Service or any part of the Materials to others for commercial purposes; (e) make multiple printouts or copies of Materials for distribution to Unauthorised Persons or make the Service or any Materials available to Unauthorised Persons on a local area network, a wide area network or on any intranet or extranet, without written prior permission of RICS; (f) make any copies of any part of the Service and/or make any copies or use any Materials from the Service for any commercial purpose without obtaining a licence to do so; (g) interfere with, damage, disrupt anything on the Service or connected to it, include or create links to or from the Service, remove or change anything on the Service or connected to it; (h) use the Service or send any unsolicited promotional or advertising material, or any volume messages which may interfere with the provision of the Service or the enjoyment of the Service by other users; (i) infringe, remove or change any copyright, trade mark or other intellectual property right notices contained in the original material or from any material copied or printed off from the Service; 4.2 You must not use the Service to: (a) send, post, upload or otherwise transmit information or pictures that are deceptive, misleading, harmful, obscene or pornographic, violent, threatening, menacing, racist, discriminatory, offensive, defamatory, contain viruses or are otherwise unlawful; (b) send or upload files that contain software or other materials in breach of any intellectual property rights or in breach of confidence; (c) harass, stalk, threaten or otherwise violate the rights of others or harm or threaten to cause harm to minors; (d) impersonate anyone else or otherwise misrepresent your identity or status; (e) hack into the Service or any other related computer system, server or database; (f) make excessive traffic demands, deliver viruses or forward chain letters, surveys, contests, pyramid schemes; (g) engage in any behaviour that may reasonably be expected to inhibit other users from using and enjoying the Service or any other web site or damage or destroy the reputation of RICS or any third party; 5. Your obligations In consideration of your use of the Service you agree to the following: (a) You are responsible for making all necessary arrangements for you to have access to the Service; (b) You are responsible for ensuring that all persons who access the Service through your internet connection and with your authorisation are aware of these terms, and that they comply with them; (c) You will maintain all the registration data in order to keep it lawful, true, accurate, current and complete; (d) All information posted is your responsibility and you agree and warrant to provide lawful, true, accurate, current and complete information about yourself as prompted by the registration process; (e) You will act in good faith and in a business like and courteous way; (f) You will allow RICS to use the information you have provided for the purpose of operating the Service for you; 6. Intellectual property rights 6.1 All intellectual property rights in any material (including databases, data, content, text, graphics, photographs and other images and sound, trademarks, domain names and logos) contained in this Service and Materials are either owned by RICS or have been licensed to RICS by the rights owner(s). RICS will not tolerate any misuse of its trademarks. You are only allowed to use this Service and the Materials as set out in these terms and conditions. 6.2 Database rights (pursuant to the Copyright and Rights in Databases Regulations 1997) and all other applicable intellectual property rights belong to RICS. You acknowledge that you do not acquire any rights in either database except as set out in these terms and conditions. 6.3 RICS status (and that of any identified contributors) as the authors of the Materials must always be acknowledged. 7. Disclaimer and limitation of liability 7.1 The Service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. Every effort is made to keep Materials up to date and accurate but Subscribers and Authorised Users should obtain independent verification or advice before relying on any piece of information in circumstances where loss or damage may result. 7.2 Any information or calculations included in the Service or the Materials are provided without any guarantees, conditions or warranties as to its content or accuracy and use of the Service and Materials is at your sole risk. However, RICS does not, and nothing in these terms and conditions shall act to, exclude or limit RICS' liability for death or personal injury resulting from its negligence, fraud or any other liability which may not by applicable law be excluded or limited. Your statutory rights as a consumer are not affected by any of these terms. 7.3 Subject to clause 7.2, no responsibility for loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action as a result of the Service or the Materials contained therein can be accepted by any Contributor to the Service or RICS. 7.4 Subject to clause 7.2, RICS shall, in no event be liable (whether for breach of contract, negligence or for any other reason) for any direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage, foreseeable or otherwise, that may arise as a result of, but not limited to the following: (a) use of the Service (including the transmission of any harmful material or viruses) and any Materials including but not limited to any automated calculations; or (b) the Service being unavailable at any time or for any period; or (c) the information included in the Service or any use of it or reliance thereon. 7.5 For the avoidance of doubt, any such loss or damage shall include but not be limited to loss of salary, loss of profits, exemplary or special damages, loss of sales, loss of revenue, loss of goodwill, loss of any software or data, loss of bargain, loss of opportunity, loss of use of computer equipment, software or data, loss of or waste of management or other staff time, or for any indirect, consequential or special loss, however arising. 7.6 Subject to clauses 7.2 and without prejudice to the above, RICS' aggregate liability to you at any time whether in contract, tort or otherwise shall be limited to £500 (five hundred pounds). 7.7 RICS will not be liable to you for any breach of these terms and conditions which arises because of any circumstances which RICS cannot reasonably be expected to control to include the Service being unavailable for any period of time. 7.8 You agree to fully and effectively indemnify RICS for all claims which may be brought against RICS arising out of or in connection with your use of the Service, any breach of these terms or any infringement of any third party’s intellectual property rights. 7.9 Following the expiry of any licence, RICS makes no representations, warranties or guarantees in relation to any Materials held and accepts no liability in relation to any Materials accessed by any party. 8. Suspension, modification and termination of Service 8.1 RICS may change the format and content of the Materials and Service from time to time without notice. You should refresh your browser each time you visit the Service to ensure that you download the most up to date version of the Service. 8.2 RICS reserves the right to amend or withdraw the Service without notice and/or to restrict access to some parts of the Service or the entire Service to users. 8.3 You acknowledge that there may be periods where access to or use of the Service or pages linked to it may be limited or impossible due to changes effected to the Service by way of ongoing development and improvement. 8.4 RICS may terminate the Service immediately in the event you breach any of these terms and conditions. 9. General and governing law 9.1 RICS may change these terms and conditions from time to time without prior notice to Subscribers or Authorised Users. By accessing the Service you are accepting that you are bound by the current terms and conditions. You should therefore check these each time you revisit the Service. Some of the provisions in these terms and conditions may also be superseded by provisions or notices published elsewhere on the Service. 9.2 These terms and conditions form the entire understanding of the parties and supersede all previous agreements, understandings and representations relating to the subject matter. If any provision of these terms and conditions is found to be unenforceable, this shall not affect the validity of any other provision. 9.3 RICS may delay enforcing its rights under these terms and conditions without losing them. 9.4 You agree that RICS may sub-contract the performance of any of its obligations or may assign these terms and conditions or any of its rights or obligations without giving you notice. 9.5 These terms and conditions shall be governed and interpreted in accordance with English law and you consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

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How do I work with forms?

• Pick the form you would like to create from the catalogue.
• Read the description given and ensure it meets your needs.
• Fill out the form online, using the guidance provided to help you. Some entries are optional, but as a minimum you must fill out all the information in the "To do" list.
• You can save your form as a draft at any time and re-open it later.
• When you are done, click "Finish". You can then view a draft of the final form and pay for the final PDF (unless the form you are working on is offered free of charge).

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What is the reference for?

• Each form must have a reference assigned to it at the point when it is created.
• If you do not wish to enter a reference, one will be created for you.
• The reference can be anything you wish - a case number, a property address, etc.
• The reference you choose must not be already assigned to another form, and can be no more than 30 characters.
• Once your form has been created, the reference cannot be changed so please enter it carefully.
• The reference is to help you and your colleagues identify individual forms which have been published or are in draft. The reference does not appear anywhere on your PDF document.

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How does the checkout process work?

• Credit will not be deducted from your account until you have been through the checkout process; this means you can work on forms for as long as you wish at no cost and with no obligation, you only pay for your final PDF to be produced (the charge varies acording to the type of form being produced, the catalogue page lists current prices).
• When you have completed all the information required for your chosen form, ensure that everything is correct and the draft version of the form looks right. No further changes can be made to the form after completing the checkout process. When you are ready click "Finish", this will start the checkout process.
• Note that if you have one or more associated forms (see below) clicking "Finish" will start the checkout process regardless of which form you are working on. Make sure you have completed the entire set of forms to your satisfaction before clicking "Finish".
• Many forms have a "To do list". If there are items outstanding on this list when you click "Finish" you will be asked to confirm whether you really wish to continue. We strongly urge you to address any outstanding items before proceeding through the checkout process; the items exist to ensure you do not miss anything important and that you follow best practice when filling out your form.
• The checkout screen itemises exactly what you will be charged for, it also provides a final opportunity to view a draft version of each form you are paying for. This is your final chance to amend your form before making payment. When you are ready to complete the process, click "Purchase" (or "Generate" if your form is not chargable). Your final PDF document will be generated.
• If you do not have sufficient credit when you checkout you we be able to add extra credit, including the exact amount required to pay for your current form, at this point. Your form will be automatically saved as a draft so you can checkout again after purchasing credit.

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What is an "associated form"?

• Some forms may require additional forms to be filled in where certain options are chosen. Therefore you may need more than one form for a single project.
• A link in the right-hand menu allows you to access related forms.
• Check the guidance on each individual form for information on which associated forms are required.
• When working on an associated form you can always return to the main form by clicking the link at the bottom of the "Associated forms" window on the right of the form editing screen.

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Can I see what my form will look like before I finally publish it?

• When editing your form you will see a link to view a draft under the "Information" section of the right-hand menu.
• You can also request a draft from the checkout page.

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What does locking a form mean?

• If you elect to save a draft of a form you will be asked whether or not you wish to lock your draft.
• A lock icon is visible for each entry in the drafts list.
• When a form is locked, it indicates that the author is still working on that form and intends to continue later.
• If you need to, you can edit another user's locked form. The system will ask you whether you wish to break their lock when you click on it.
• If you break their lock you may lose changes that they have made, so only do so if you know this will not be a problem.

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I can't edit my draft form - the link is grey and doesn't work

• The form has been locked for editing by another user on your account.
• Look at the right-hand column for the entry in the drafts list for the form in question, this will tell you who has locked it and when.
• The lock indicates that they are currently editing the form, or intend to do so later.
• If you need to, you can edit another user's locked form. The system will ask you whether you wish to break their lock when you click on it.
• If you break their lock you may lose changes that they have made, so only do so if you know this will not be a problem.

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Can I spell check my form?

• The ProForms system does not feature a built-in spell checker (or grammar checker).
• Most modern internet browsers, with the current exception of Microsoft Internet Explorer, feature built-in spell checking.
• These browsers include Google Chrome, Mozilla FireFox and Apple Safari.
• If spell checking is important to you, you can download any of these browsers (and keep your existing browser too, should you wish to) from the internet free of charge.
• Please note that our technical support is unable to extend to issues arising from the installation or operation of your internet browser.

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Where do I download my published PDF from?

• When you have completed the checkout process, generation of your final publication will begin. This can take a couple of minutes.
• When your PDF is ready to collect, you will receive an email notification. Please check your spam/junk mail folder if you do not receive this notification in a timely fashion on a regular basis.
• The email does not contain a link to your PDF or the PDF as an attachment, it is simply a notification that your document is ready to collect.
• To collect your PDF, log back into the ProForms system, then under the Forms tab select the Completed navigation option. All your completed forms are listed here in date order (newest at the top).
• When you complete the checkout process you'll find a link to the same Completed page inside the "Success" message you receive after publication. If you prefer, you can go to this page directly rather than waiting for the email notification. Periodically refresh your browser until your new form becomes available.

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Can I electronically sign a form?

• Certain forms may give the option for you to upload a digitally scanned image of your signature for inclusion in your form. You should be aware that this is primarily a cosmetic operation and in no way guarantees that your form has not been altered if you are transmitting your form digitally to your client.
• PDF documents produced by the ProForms system are locked at the document level. This prevents any form of casual data alteration by a third party but is not a guarantee to the recipient that the form has not been altered if being transmitted digitally.
• It is possible to generate a unique certificate with which to digitially sign your form. This provides a stronger level of guarantee that the document you transmit has not been interfered with. However, because of the complexity and expense associated with digital certificate production and use, currently we prefer to lock forms, as stated above. Since a locked form cannot subsequently be altered (this includes attaching a digital signature) the two systems are currently mutually exclusive. We feel that locking provides a higher level of security than leaving a form unlocked so that a certificate can be applied for the majority of our users who may otherwise be unaware of this issue.
• This stance remains under review, please feel free to contact us if you have thoughts on this topic.

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I find the text I'm editing is too small, can I make it larger?

• Many modern PCs feature high resolution screens which can make text look smaller than it does on older machines.
• Most modern internet browsers, including Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 (and newer), Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Apple Safari have a zoom feature, which allows you to increase the text size as much as required.
• The specific operation of the zoom feature is different for each browser (although the effect is the same). The controls may be in the bottom right of your browser window or under the View or tools menu at the top.
• Please note that our technical support is unable to extend to issues directly related to the operation of your internet browser - although adjusting the zoom level is very straightforward.

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I'm being told that data in a table is being shared, what does this mean?

• A single form may contain multiple tables.
• If appropriate, the form will have been configured such that data typed into one table is automatically reproduced in one or more other tables, as a time-saving measure.
• Not all data is necessarily shared since it may be unique to a single table. Columns which are shared are marked. The tables with which the data is shared are listed at the foot of the table.
• For example, table A and B are shared. 5 rows of information typed into table A will automatically be inserted into table B and the shared values reproduced, to avoid you having to enter the data twice. The relationship may or may not be reciprocal, depending on the circumstance.

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What are the consequences of reverting a completed form back to draft?

• Forms listed on the Completed forms page can be reverted back to draft status by clicking the "revert to draft" link.
• Reverting a form back to draft means that it will appear in your list of drafts and can be re-edited prior to being republished.
• The only way to return the form to the "Completed" list again is to publish it once more. You cannot instantly switch forms back and forth.
• Until it is republished, the form will once again carry the "Draft" watermark.
• Note you will be charged a second time for republication (this does not apply to free reports).
• There is no way to recover the form back to the previously published state. Reversion back to draft and any subsequent changes made to the form are permanent.
• This feature exists to correct errors and omissions on forms which have been published.

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What is archiving?

• You can find the archive page by clicking the link which appears when the Forms tab is selected.
• Your account's archive exists to keep your list of completed forms at a manageable level, you can still continue to access PDFs from your archive.
• By selecting the Options page which appears when the Account tab is selected, you can change the number of days after which forms move from your completed list to your archive list. The default number of days is 180 but you can change this value to any that you prefer.
• Note that changing the value will alter it for all users of your account.

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How do I add funds to my account?

• Select the "Account" tab, then choose the "Add credit" navigation option.
• Decide how much credit you would like to add and follow the instructions on each page.
• Make sure you have a debit or credit card available, all major types are accepted.
• Alternatively, if you find that you need more credit when you're checking-out a finished form, you can start the process from there.

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Is your online transaction system secure?

• To ensure your security we use a world class specialist payment gateway provider, RBS WorldPay.
• We do not store the credit/debit card details you enter on our systems, only a record that the transaction has taken place.
• When you checkout a form, we only deduct from your running account balance, we do not refer back to the card details you originally entered in any way.
• Your personal and account information is sent between your PC and our servers in an encrypted format (SSL) using industry-standard technology.

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Can I check my balance and see past transactions?

• Select the Account tab then the Balance option.
• The balance screen shows all debits and credits for your account.

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Why are certain forms offered for free?

• Specific types of form may be offered at no cost in some cases, this may be because:
• It is an "associated form" and we have elected to build the cost into the cost of the main form with which it is associated.
• It is offered in conjunction with a licensing scheme or similar, where ready access to a form is included as part of the terms of the scheme.

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