# Property agents need to complete minimum number of transactions for licence renewal from 2027: CEA

- **Source:** Channel NewsAsia
- **Published:** 2026-07-28T05:22:00.000Z
- **Author:** Erin Liam
- **Original:** https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/property-agents-minimum-transactions-licence-renewal-cea-6279891
- **Topics:** Transactions & Deals

## Featured rationale

The requirement may reduce inactivity and strengthen agents’ current market knowledge, potentially improving advice quality and consumer confidence in property transactions.

## AI summary

From 2027, property agents must complete at least three transactions over three years or pass a refresher examination to renew their registration.

## Original article

SINGAPORE: Property agents must complete at least three property transactions over three years, or pass a refresher examination to be eligible for registration renewal from 2027, Senior Minister of State for National Development Sun Xueling announced on Tuesday (Jul 28). In line with this, the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) will extend the validity periods for all property agency licences and agent registrations from one year to three years. The first three-year cycle will run from Jan 1, 2027 to Dec 31, 2029. Speaking at the Singapore Estate Agents Conference at the Lifelong Learning Institute, Ms Sun also announced several longer-term measures that are being studied, including allowing consumer ratings for individual agents and letting sellers list their properties directly on property portals. Ms Sun said the Ministry of National Development (MND) and CEA have engaged some property agents on how they can work together to further strengthen the industry. "Our focus has been on three areas: first, raising professional standards; second, enhancing transparency within the industry; third, giving consumers greater clarity and choice in an evolving property market," she said.

NEW REQUIREMENT Ms Sun said the regulator has received feedback about the currency of knowledge of property agents who have not transacted over extended periods. While three in four consumers surveyed in CEA's 2024 Public Perception Survey expected their property agents to complete at least one property transaction per year, about 40 per cent of property agents do not meet this expectation today. As of Jul 1, there were 38,162 property agents and 1,018 property agencies in Singapore. CEA said that from 2023 to 2025, the median number of residential property transactions completed by each agent per year was two. This figure covers only residential property transactions as CEA does not currently collect information on non-residential property transactions. CNA first reported in 2024 that CEA was mulling a minimum transaction requirement for property agents to remain registered, following concerns raised during industry engagement sessions. Property agents currently do not have to meet a minimum number of transactions to renew their registrations. Under the new requirement, all property agents who have not completed at least three transactions by the end of the three-year cycle are eligible to sit for the refresher examination, CEA said in a media release. Those who fail to meet the requirements and wish to return to the industry must retake and pass the real estate salesperson examination. CEA said the refresher exam will focus on practice-related knowledge essential for conducting estate agency work. Further details of the exam will be announced by the first half of 2029.

The minimum number of transactions ensures that agents maintain currency of knowledge and provide up-to-date advice to their clients, the regulator said. Recognised transactions include the sale, purchase and rental of Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats and private homes, as well as commercial and industrial properties, foreign property sales and bloc sales. CEA said the requirement has been set over three years to account for fluctuations in the property market, such as periods of low transaction volume due to market downturns. “This gives property agents sufficient time and flexibility to meet the requirements without being unduly pressured to transact,” the regulator added. In response to CNA's queries, CEA said that people in management roles who do not intend to conduct estate agency work are not required to maintain their property agent registration and will not need to meet the new requirements. For the majority of property transactions, CEA will recognise one property agent for each side of a completed property transaction. However, for certain complex transactions, such as en bloc transactions or the sale of high-end commercial or industrial properties, CEA may recognise more than one agent for each side of a transaction, on a case-by-case basis. New property agents who have just joined the industry will not be required to complete any transactions in their first year, CEA said. This gives them time to build up their skills and client base. From their second year of registration, they will be required to meet the new requirement. This means they will need to either complete at least two transactions over the remaining two years of their registration period, or pass the refresher examination, to be eligible for renewal. Agents who are unable to meet the requirement due to extenuating circumstances, such as serious medical issues or those handling complex property transactions that may take more time, may be considered for waivers on a case-by-case basis, CEA said. Executive director of CEA Chan Khar Liang said with property transactions being “one of the largest financial decisions” Singaporeans make, it is important that property agents meet the new requirement. “During our engagements with industry stakeholders, they have consistently highlighted the potential risk posed by property agents who do not complete transactions regularly – that these agents may be less familiar with evolving rules and regulations, property transaction processes, and market trends, which could inadvertently affect the accuracy of advice given to clients,” he added. CEA said the new requirement complements the annual continuing professional development requirement (CPD), an existing registration renewal criterion for property agents. Since Jan 1, 2026, property agents have to complete 16 CPD training hours per year to maintain their registrations. This requirement will continue to apply.

THREE-YEAR VALIDITY Existing property agencies and agents will transition to a three-year licence or registration from Jan 1, 2027, replacing the current one-year validity period. To conduct estate agency work, property agencies are required to apply for a licence, while property agents must be registered through a licensed property agency. Ms Sun said the extension of the validity period will reduce administrative workload in having to do yearly renewals. "Most property agents continually upgrade themselves, stay active in the market and serve their clients professionally. Therefore, we will no longer require property agents to renew their registrations on a yearly basis," she said. Despite the move to a three-year renewal cycle, licensing and registration fees will continue to be charged annually. This means that property agencies and agents will not need to make a large lump sum payment at the point of renewal every three years. For property agencies, the licensing fee starts from S$330 (US$255) a year, and goes up to at least S$40,000, depending on their size. Property agents pay S$280 a year for their registration fee. Separately, the application fee for renewal is currently payable once every two years. From 2027, agencies and agents will pay the fee only once every three years. The application fee is S$120 for agencies, and S$60 for agents. New property agencies and agents who join the industry on or after Jan 1, 2027, will commence their three-year licence or registration from the date when they join the industry. Their licence or registration will end on Dec 31 of the third year. For example, if a property agent joins the industry on Apr 1, 2027, his or her registration will end on Dec 31, 2029.

IMPROVING TRANSPARENCY, CHOICE Ms Sun also announced a set of measures aimed at making the industry more transparent for both consumers and property agents. For one, CEA will begin collecting commission data from property agencies. This will be collected on a monthly basis from Jan 1, 2027. CEA has not decided when to publish the data and will share more details in due course. Today, the industry celebrates and recognises top performers, she said. "At the same time, we want prospective property agents to have a realistic picture of what a career in the real estate agency industry looks like," she said. "We will be looking at the data and, in time, publish aggregated and anonymised industry-level information to help prospective property agents make better-informed career decisions. Now, to be very clear, we are not looking to publish individual property agents’ commission figures." A common concern raised by both property agents and consumers is the prevalence of inaccurate, fake, duplicated and unauthorised property listings, Ms Sun added. To address this, CEA has built on the work of the Alliance for Action on Accurate Property Listings and will be launching a full-scale platform to verify the authenticity of online listings next year. The platform will conduct backend verification checks and assign a unique code to property listings before they are published, CEA said in response to media queries. The regulator is also studying whether to publish consumers' ratings of their property agents on the CEA public register, while making it easier for consumers to access the register. Currently, the CEA Public Register provides consumers with the licence and registration details of any property agency and property agent. People can also view the records of residential property transactions completed by property agents in the past 36 months, Singapore Institute of Estate Agents (SIEA) Awards received, if any, as well as enforcement actions taken against agencies and agents. "We are also looking to require property agents and their clients to sign an Estate Agency Agreement and to disclose who the agents are collecting commission from before commencing work,” said Ms Sun. This is a binding contract that protects the interests of both parties and reduces potential disputes over the property agent’s roles and responsibilities. “A signed agreement will give greater clarity to all parties and prevent downstream disputes," said Ms Sun. Ms Sun added that CEA plans to conduct a survey of property agents about their agencies to better understand how agencies support their agents. To help buyers and sellers make informed decisions, the government is studying whether to make HDB's resale flat listing service the default listing platform for HDB flats, Ms Sun said. It is currently not mandatory for property agents and sellers to list HDB resale flats on the RFL service. Since its launch in May 2024, more than 12,500 verified listings have been published, with over 60 per cent of the flats listed proceeding to complete the transaction. "This is not intended to replace existing property portals, and property agents and sellers will still be able to continue advertising on other platforms as well," Ms Sun said. The government is also studying whether consumers can list their properties directly on property portals, which would give consumers who wish to transact without engaging a property agent more visibility and options. The proposed changes follow other measures introduced by CEA this year. On Jan 1, CEA implemented a revised continuing professional development framework, which required property agents to complete 16 total training hours each calendar year. In June, the regulator also enhanced its public register, allowing consumers to access property agents’ and agencies’ enforcement records from the past three years.

## Chinese translation

> Translation model: grok

### 从2027年起，房地产经纪更新执照须完成最低交易数量：CEA

未达要求的经纪可通过通过复习考试，继续符合执照更新资格。

新加坡：国家发展部高级政务部长孙雪玲星期二（7月28日）宣布，从2027年起，房地产经纪必须在三年内完成至少三宗房产交易，或通过复习考试，才有资格更新注册。与此同时，房地产代理理事会（CEA）将把所有房地产代理执照与经纪注册的有效期，从一年延长至三年。第一个三年周期为2027年1月1日至2029年12月31日。孙雪玲在终身学习学院举行的新加坡房地产代理大会上还宣布，正在研究多项更长期措施，包括允许消费者对个别经纪评分，以及让卖家直接在房地产门户网站刊登物业。她表示，国家发展部（MND）与CEA已与部分房地产经纪沟通，探讨如何携手进一步强化行业。“我们的重点一直在三个方面：第一，提高专业标准；第二，加强行业透明度；第三，在不断演变的房地产市场中，为消费者提供更清晰的信息与更多选择，”她说。

新要求 孙雪玲表示，监管机构收到反馈，指长时间未有交易的房地产经纪，其知识是否仍具时效性令人关注。CEA《2024年公众观感调查》显示，四分之三受访消费者期望经纪每年至少完成一宗房产交易，但目前约40%的经纪未达这一期望。截至7月1日，新加坡共有38,162名房地产经纪及1,018家房地产代理公司。CEA表示，2023年至2025年，每名经纪每年完成的住宅物业交易中位数为两宗。该数字仅涵盖住宅物业交易，因CEA目前未收集非住宅物业交易信息。CNA在2024年率先报道，CEA正考虑为房地产经纪设定最低交易要求以维持注册，此前行业交流会曾提出相关关注。目前，房地产经纪更新注册无需达到最低交易数量。根据新要求，CEA在新闻稿中表示，在三年周期结束时未完成至少三宗交易的所有房地产经纪，有资格参加复习考试。未能符合要求、希望重返行业者，必须重新报考并通过房地产销售员考试。CEA表示，复习考试将聚焦开展房地产代理工作所需的实务知识。考试进一步细节将于2029年上半年公布。

监管机构表示，最低交易数量要求可确保经纪保持知识更新，并向客户提供最新建议。获认可的交易包括建屋发展局（HDB）组屋与私人住宅的买卖及租赁，以及商业和工业物业、海外物业销售与集体出售（en bloc）交易。CEA表示，该要求设定在三年周期内，以顾及房地产市场波动，例如市场低迷导致交易量偏低的时期。“这让房地产经纪有足够时间和弹性达到要求，而不致被迫急于成交，”监管机构补充道。回应CNA查询时，CEA表示，不打算从事房地产代理工作的管理层人士，无需维持房地产经纪注册，因此也不必符合新要求。对于大多数房产交易，CEA将在已完成的交易中，买卖双方各认可一名经纪。但对于某些复杂交易，如集体出售（en bloc）或高端商业/工业物业出售，CEA可能按个案为每一方认可超过一名经纪。刚入行的新经纪在首年无需完成任何交易，CEA表示。这让他们有时间建立技能与客户基础。从注册第二年起，他们须符合新要求。这意味着他们须在注册期剩余两年内完成至少两宗交易，或通过复习考试，才有资格更新。因特殊情况（如严重健康问题，或处理可能耗时更久的复杂物业交易）而无法达到要求的经纪，CEA可能按个案考虑豁免。CEA执行董事陈家良表示，房产交易是新加坡人“最大的财务决定之一”，因此经纪达到新要求十分重要。“在与行业利益相关方交流时，他们一直指出，不经常完成交易的经纪可能带来潜在风险——这些经纪可能对不断变化的法规、交易流程和市场趋势较不熟悉，从而可能无意中影响向客户提供建议的准确性，”他补充道。CEA表示，新要求是对现有年度持续专业发展（CPD）要求的补充，后者已是经纪更新注册的条件。自2026年1月1日起，房地产经纪每年须完成16小时CPD培训以维持注册。该要求将继续适用。

三年有效期 现有房地产代理公司与经纪将自2027年1月1日起过渡至三年执照或注册，取代目前的一年有效期。要从事房地产代理工作，代理公司须申请执照，经纪则须通过持牌代理公司注册。孙雪玲表示，延长有效期将减少每年更新带来的行政工作量。“大多数房地产经纪持续自我提升、活跃于市场并以专业态度服务客户。因此，我们将不再要求经纪每年更新注册，”她说。尽管改为三年更新周期，执照与注册费仍按年收取。这意味着代理公司与经纪不必在每三年更新时一次性支付大额费用。代理公司的执照费每年起价为新币330元（约255美元），视规模最高可达至少新币4万元。经纪每年支付新币280元注册费。另外，目前更新申请费每两年缴纳一次。从2027年起，代理公司与经纪每三年才支付一次。代理公司申请费为新币120元，经纪为新币60元。于2027年1月1日或之后入行的新代理公司与经纪，将从入行日起开始三年执照或注册，并于第三年的12月31日届满。例如，若经纪于2027年4月1日入行，其注册将于2029年12月31日结束。

提升透明度与选择 孙雪玲还宣布一系列措施，旨在提高行业对消费者与经纪的透明度。其一，CEA将开始向房地产代理公司收集佣金数据。从2027年1月1日起按月收集。CEA尚未决定何时公布数据，将适时分享更多细节。她表示，如今行业会表彰顶尖表现者。“与此同时，我们希望有意成为房地产经纪的人士，能对这一行业的真实情况有现实认知，”她说。“我们将审视数据，并在适当时机公布汇总且匿名的行业层面信息，帮助有意入行者做出更明智的职业决定。需要非常明确的是，我们不打算公布个别经纪的佣金数字。”她补充道，经纪与消费者共同关注的一个问题是不准确、虚假、重复及未经授权的物业刊登广告普遍存在。为此，CEA在“准确物业刊登行动联盟”的工作基础上，将于明年推出全面平台，核实网上刊登的真实性。回应媒体查询时，CEA表示，该平台将进行后端核实检查，并在刊登发布前为物业广告分配唯一代码。监管机构也在研究是否在CEA公共登记册上公布消费者对经纪的评分，同时让消费者更易查阅登记册。目前，CEA公共登记册提供任何代理公司与经纪的执照及注册详情。公众亦可查看经纪过去36个月完成的住宅物业交易记录、所获新加坡房地产代理学会（SIEA）奖项（如有），以及对代理公司与经纪采取的执法行动。“我们还考虑要求房地产经纪与客户签署房地产代理协议，并在开始工作前披露经纪向谁收取佣金，”孙雪玲说。这是一份具约束力的合约，保障双方利益，减少对经纪职责的潜在争议。“签署协议将为各方提供更清晰的约定，防止后续争议，”她说。孙雪玲补充，CEA计划就代理公司如何支持经纪对经纪进行调查。为帮助买卖双方做出知情决定，政府正研究是否将HDB转售组屋刊登服务设为HDB组屋的默认刊登平台，孙雪玲说。目前，经纪与卖家并无强制须在RFL服务上刊登HDB转售组屋。自2024年5月推出以来，已发布超过12,500则经核实刊登，其中超过60%的组屋最终完成交易。“这并非要取代现有房地产门户网站，经纪与卖家仍可在其他平台继续广告，”孙雪玲说。政府也在研究消费者是否可直接在房地产门户刊登物业，以便希望不通过经纪交易的消费者获得更多曝光与选择。上述拟议改动接续CEA今年推出的其他措施。1月1日，CEA实施修订后的持续专业发展框架，要求经纪每个日历年完成共16小时培训。6月，监管机构还强化公共登记册，让消费者可查阅过去三年经纪与代理公司的执法记录。