1.0 CODE OF ETHICS AND CONDUCT

1.1      OBJECT OF CODE

  1. A Certified Interior Designer is required to conduct their profession in a manner that will encourage the respect of clients, suppliers of goods and services to the profession, and fellow professional interior designers, as well as the general-public. It is the individual responsibility of every Certified Interior Designer to abide by this code.

1.2    RESPONSIBILITY TO THE PUBLIC

  1. In performing professional services, a Certified Interior Designer shall exercise reasonable care and competence, and shall consider all applicable laws, regulations and codes.
  2. In performing professional services, a Certified Interior Designer shall, at all times consider the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
  3. In performing professional services, a Certified Interior Designer shall not knowingly violate the law, nor counsel or assist a client in conduct the Certified Interior Designer knows, or reasonably should know, is illegal.
  4. A Certified Interior Designer shall not knowingly accept monies from a client for any installation or construction work that is required by law to be performed by a licensed contractor without holding such a license from the State.
  5. A Certified Interior Designer shall not permit their name, signature, or stamp to be used in conjunction with a design or project for which interior design services are not to be, or were not, performed by the Certified Interior Designer or under their responsible direction.
  6. A Certified Interior Designer shall not engage in any form of false or misleading advertising or promotional activities and shall not imply, through advertising or other means, that staff members or employees of their firm are Certified Interior Designers unless such be the fact.
  7. A Certified Interior Designer shall not make misleading, deceptive or false statements or claims about their professional qualifications, experience, or performance.
  8. A Certified Interior Designer shall not by affirmative act or failure to act, engage in any conduct involving fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, or dishonesty in professional or business activity.
  9. In the conduct of their professional activities, a Certified Interior Designer shall not discriminate based on race, religion, gender, national origin, age, non-disqualifying handicap, or sexual orientation.
  10. In performing professional services, a Certified Interior Designer shall refuse to consent to any decision by their client, or employer, which violates any applicable law or regulation, and which, in the Certified Interior Designer’s judgment will create a significant risk to public health and safety.

1.3      RESPONSIBILITY TO CLIENT

  1. A Certified Interior Designer shall undertake to perform professional services only when they, together with their consultants, are qualified by education, training, or experience to perform the services required. (A Certified Interior Designer should not work outside their specific area of expertise.)
  2. Before accepting an assignment, a Certified Interior Designer shall reasonably inform the client of the scope and nature of the project involved, the interior design services to be performed, and the method of remuneration for those services. A Certified Interior Designer shall not materially change the scope of a project without the client’s consent.
  3. When accepting an assignment, a Certified Interior Designer should always have a contract, or letter of agreement, with the client that clearly spells out the scope of work, the fees or costs associated with that scope of work, how and when those fees are to be paid by the client, when the work is expected to be completed, and a clause for legal remedies in the case of a dispute between the client and the Certified Interior Designer utilizing binding arbitration or other suitable forms of dispute resolution.
  4. A Certified Interior Designer shall disclose, in writing, to their employers and clients prior to the engagement, any direct or indirect financial interest that they may have that could affect their impar­tiality in specifying project-related goods or services and shall not knowingly assume or accept any position in which their personal interests conflict with their professional duty. If the employer or client objects to such financial or other interest, the Certified Interior Designer shall either terminate such interest, or withdraw from such engagement.
  5. A Certified Interior Designer shall not reveal any information about a client, a client’s intention(s), or a client’s production methods) which they have been asked to maintain in confidence, or which they should reasonably recognize as likely, if disclosed, to affect the inter­ests of their client adversely. Notwithstanding the above, however, a Certified Interior Designer may reveal such information to the extent they reasonably believe is necessary to (1) stop any act which creates a significant risk to public health and safety and which the Certified Interior Designer is unable to prevent in any other manner, or (2) to prevent any violation of applicable law or this Code of Ethics.

1.4      RESPONSIBILITY TO OTHER CERTIFIED INTERIOR DESIGNERS AND COLLEAGUES

  1. A Certified Interior Designer shall pursue their professional activi­ties with honesty, integrity and fairness, and with respect for another interior designer’s, or colleague’s, contractual and professional relation­ships.
  2. A Certified Interior Designer shall not initiate or participate in any discussion or activity which might result in an unjust injury to another interior designer’s or colleague’s reputation or business relationships.
  3. A Certified Interior Designer shall not accept instruction from their clients, which knowingly involves plagiarism, nor shall they con­sciously plagiarize another’s work.
  4. A Certified Interior Designer shall not endorse the application for certification of an individual known to be unqualified with respect to education, training, experience, or character, nor shall he or she know­ingly misrepresent the experience, professional expertise, or moral character of that individual.
  5. A Certified Interior Designer shall only take credit for work that has been created by that designer or the designer’s firm and under the designer’s direction.

1.5      RESPONSIBILITY TO THE PROFESSION

  1. A Certified Interior Designer agrees to maintain standards of profes­sional and personal conduct that will reflect in a responsible manner to the profession.
  2. A Certified Interior Designer shall seek to continually upgrade their professional knowledge and competency with respect to the interior design profession.
  3. A Certified Interior Designer agrees, whenever possible, to encourage and contribute to the sharing of knowledge and information between Certified Interior Designers and other allied professional disciplines, industry, and the public.
  4. A Certified Interior Designer shall not knowingly make false state­ments or fail to disclose any material fact requested in connection with their application for certification or the renewal thereof.