Property agents must stay active or pass refresher test under new CEA rules: Sun Xueling

All property agents must meet a new currency requirement from Jan 1, 2027, said Senior Minister of State for National Development and Transport Sun Xueling at the Singapore Estate Agents Conference 2026 on Tuesday (July 28).

Based on the Council for Estate Agencies' (CEA) 2024 Public Perception Survey, consumers expected their property agents to be professionally active and have updated knowledge of the real estate industry.

"In fact, three in four consumers surveyed expected their property agents to complete at least one property transaction per year," highlighted Sun.

Yet, about 40 per cent of property agents do not meet this expectation today.

Currency requirements

As part of the new currency requirements, property agents must either successfully complete at least three property transactions over three years or pass a refresher examination in order to renew their registrations.

According to CEA, about 40 per cent of property agents, or 12,920 out of 32,967 agents who had been registered since 2023, did not complete at least three residential property transactions between 2023 and 2025.

All agents who have not completed at least three transactions at the end of three years will be guaranteed a seat for the refresher exam.

Property agents who do not meet this requirement will need to re-take and pass the Real Estate Salesperson examination before they can continue practising, said Sun.

New agents will be exempted from the currency requirements in their first year so that they will have time to build up their skills and client base. They only need to complete at least two transactions over the remaining two years.

Waivers may be considered on a case-by-case basis for agents who are unable to meet the requirements due to extenuating circumstances, such as serious medical issues or lengthy and complex property transactions.

All types of property transactions will be considered for the currency requirements including the sale, resale and rental of HDB, private residential, commercial and industrial properties as well as foreign property sales and en bloc transactions.

Sun explained that "this currency requirement will ensure that consumers continue to receive professional and up-to-date advice when making important property decisions."

Extended licence and registration period

The CEA will also extend the validity period of property agency licences and property agent registrations from one year to three years starting from Jan 1, 2027.

Existing property agencies and property agents, whose current one-year licence or registration will end on Dec 31, 2026, will immediately transition to a three-year licence or registration upon renewal next year.

New property agencies and agents will be issued their licences and registration commencing from the date they join the industry and expiring on Dec 31 of the third year.

Property agencies and agents will benefit from paying the application fee for renewal only once every three years,

"This will reduce administrative workload in having to do yearly renewals as part of our pro-enterprise efforts," said Sun.

However, CEA will continue to charge the licence and registration fees annually.

CEA will also begin collecting commission data from property agencies from Jan 1, 2027, with a view to eventually publishing aggregated and anonymised industry-level commission data to help prospective property agents make better-informed career decisions.

These changes in regulations come in a bid to raise the professional standards of the property industry.

"For most Singaporeans, buying or selling a home is one of the biggest financial decisions they will make," said Sun.

"Consumers should be able to trust that their property agent’s advice reflects the latest rules and regulations."

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