RIBA or ARB: which one tells you an architect is genuine?

People often type both names into a search box as though they were rival lists of the same thing. They are different kinds of organisation. ARB is a regulator created by Parliament and RIBA is a professional institute that architects join by choice. Most of the confusion goes away once you see which of them can stop someone using the word architect and which can only withdraw a membership.

What is the difference between ARB and RIBA?

The Architects Registration Board is the statutory regulator under the Architects Act 1997. The Act requires it to keep the Register of Architects and says the Register must show each registered person's regular business address and any disciplinary orders made against them (Architects Act 1997, section 3). Registration is what the law looks at. A registered person is an architect for legal purposes whether or not they belong to any institute.

RIBA is a chartered professional body. Its own pages say that all members must comply with its Code of Professional Conduct and that its Chartered Practices are bound by a separate Code of Practice (RIBA, professional standards; RIBA, Code of Practice for Chartered Practices). That is a private undertaking between member and institute. It can lead to a sanction within RIBA, but it is not a licence to practise.

Is an architect on the ARB register or the RIBA list?

Check ARB first, because the title is legally protected. Under the Act, nobody may practise or carry on business under a name, style or title containing the word architect unless they are registered, with carve-outs for descriptions such as landscape architect and naval architect (section 20). A breach is an offence punishable on summary conviction by a fine up to level 4 on the standard scale (section 21). ARB itself puts it plainly: the title can only be used by someone on the register, but the protection does not extend to terms such as architectural consultant, and anyone can lawfully provide architectural services (ARB, who can use the title).

That last point shapes how to read a website. A firm describing itself as a design studio is not breaking any rule. A firm or sole trader using architect in its name or job titles needs a registered person behind the name.

What does an ARB-registered architect guarantee?

ARB's Architects Code sets six Standards: honesty and integrity, public interest, competence, professional practice, communication and collaboration, and respect (ARB, Architects Code). In its pre-hire checklist ARB tells clients to look for terms of engagement that confirm the architect has adequate and appropriate insurance cover, explain what to do if you have a complaint, and say how disputes are settled (ARB, checklist before hiring). Registration therefore gives you a regulator with disciplinary powers, a code the architect has to work to and a public record.

It does not guarantee a good result, a particular price or a style you will like. In 2025 ARB opened 208 new conduct cases and referred 40 architects to its Professional Conduct Committee, against 38,775 architects on the register (ARB, 2025 year in review). Those proportions suggest formal discipline is rare, which is reassuring, but they are not a measure of how satisfied clients are. The figures are for calendar year 2025, so check ARB's latest publication if you need a current count.

What does RIBA membership or chartered status add?

RIBA's Find an Architect pages say its membership includes over 4,000 practices, and the directory lets you look for chartered practices by location (RIBA, Find an Architect). RIBA says Chartered Members have completed rigorous training and that its two codes are safeguards for clients and the public, built around integrity, competence and relationships (RIBA, professional standards). For a Chartered Practice there is also a written complaints procedure, and RIBA lists notices of sanction issued by its Professional Conduct Panel (RIBA, how to make a complaint).

Put together, the two work as layers. ARB gives the legal baseline for every architect in the country. RIBA adds a voluntary tier for those who opt in, including a second set of rules and a second complaints channel. An architect who is not a RIBA member is not less qualified in the eyes of the law, and an architect who is a member still has to be on the ARB register to practise under the title.

How do I check each register before I hire?

Start with the Architects Register at architects-register.org.uk. The search accepts a registration number, a forename or surname, a company name or an address, and an advanced search adds a distance slider from a postcode. Compare what comes back with what the architect has told you: the name and registered business address should match the person and practice you are dealing with. ARB adds that if the person you meet will not be doing the work personally, you should check whether whoever is assigned is registered too (ARB, checklist).

1. Ask for the registration number in writing before the first meeting, then search it rather than the name alone.
2. Read the result for the practice name and address, not only the person.
3. If the practice says it is a RIBA Chartered Practice, search the RIBA directory for the same practice name.
4. Look at the site of any professional body they cite and confirm the membership class, since the wording varies.
5. Keep a dated screenshot of both results with your project file.

If a search turns up nothing, try the registration number, an alternative spelling or the practice address before drawing conclusions, then ask the architect to explain the mismatch in writing.

Can I complain to ARB or RIBA if something goes wrong?

ARB deals with complaints about the conduct of architects and their ability to do their job, using powers from the Act. RIBA's process covers the professional performance of its members and chartered practices, and it directs disputes between an architect and client over a contract towards alternative dispute resolution instead (RIBA, how to make a complaint). In practice, raise a fee or programme disagreement with the practice first, under the complaints terms in your appointment, and keep the regulators for conduct and competence concerns.

The cost side of the appointment is covered in what an architect costs and how fees are staged. Once you know who is legitimate, the list of services shows the kinds of project architects take on, and the town finder is where to start looking locally.

What should I ask before appointing an architect?

• What is your ARB registration number, and is the person who will do the work on the register?
• Are you a member of RIBA or another institute, and in which class?
• Which insurance do you hold, and does it cover the work I am asking for?
• How do you handle a complaint, and what is the sequence if we cannot agree?
• Do you or your practice take commission from suppliers or contractors?
• What does the fee cover, and which costs sit outside it?
• Will the terms of engagement be in writing before work starts, including cancellation?

A practice that welcomes these questions is showing you how it will behave when a decision gets difficult. Whatever the answers, compare at least two written proposals on the same brief before choosing.