Last edited 08 Mar 2023

Tangible v intangible assets

BIM for Heritage, Developing the Asset Information Model, published by Historic England in 2019, defines intangible assets as: ‘Identifiable non-monetary assets, such as heritage values and significance, that cannot be seen, touched or physically measured and are created through time and effort.’

Tangible assets are: 'Physical attributes that are quantifiable, measurable and factual.'

NB The glossary of statistical terms, published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), states: ‘Tangible assets are assets including human-made (produced) non-financial assets and non—produced natural assets, and excluding intangible (non—produced) assets such as patents or goodwill.’

It defines tangible fixed assets as: ‘…non-financial produced assets that consist of dwellings, other buildings and structures, machinery and equipment and cultivated assets.’

RICS Valuation – Global Standards, Effective from 31 January 2022, Published by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in November 2021, defines an intangible asset as: ‘A non-monetary asset that manifests itself by its economic properties. It does not have physical substance but grants rights and/or economic benefits to its owner.’

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