Property agents to close three deals every three years; CEA will collect commission data from agencies

From January 2027 onwards, licences and registrations of property agencies and agents will be valid for three years — up from the current one year.

In addition, to stay current on their knowledge and provide up-to-date advice to clients, property agents must either complete at least three property transactions, or pass a refresher examination, within this three-year validity period.

Only then will they be eligible to renew their registrations for another three years.

Starting 2027, the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) will also begin collecting commission data on a monthly basis from property agencies.

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It will look at the data and, in time, publish aggregated and anonymised industry-level information to help prospective property agents make better-informed career decisions.

Individual property agents’ commission figures will not be published. CEA has not decided when to publish the data and will share more details in due course.

“The industry celebrates and recognises top performers. ... 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,” said Sun Xueling, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Transport, at the Singapore Estate Agents Conference 2026 on July 28.

The extended three-year validity period and new currency requirement are meant to raise professional standards, while the collection of commission data will make the industry more transparent for both consumers and property agents.

Besides these three near-term measures, the government is also actively studying another eight measures to possibly implement in the longer run. It will consult the industry on them soon.

The potential longer-term measures include:

Introducing a platform to verify online property listings; Publishing consumers’ ratings of agents on the CEA public register;Improving consumers’ access to the public register;Requiring agents to sign an estate agency agreement with clients;Giving buyers more transparency on how their agents are remunerated;Conducting a survey of agents on how their agencies support them;Enhancing HDB’s Resale Flat Listing service and explore making it the default listing platform for HDB resale flats;Exploring whether consumers can list their own properties directly on property portals without engaging an agent.

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Consumers will continue to be able to check the transaction records and registration details of property agents via the CEA public register.

New three-year regime

For existing agencies and agents, after their current one-year licence or registration ends on Dec 31, 2026, they will be able to renew it to a three-year licence of registration that is valid from Jan 1, 2027, to Dec 31, 2029.

New agencies and agents who join the industry on or after Jan 1, 2027, will be issued licenses and registrations with a three-year validity period. This will start from the date they join the industry and expire on Dec 31 of the third year.

For example, if a property agent joins the industry on April 1, 2027, his registration will end on Dec 31, 2029.

The transition to the three-year regime will reduce administrative workload for property agencies and agents in having to do yearly renewals, said CEA in a July 28 announcement.

The application fee for renewal will be charged only once every three years, instead of annually.

Licence and registration fees will continue to be charged annually, so that agencies and agents will not need to make a large lump-sum payment at the point of renewal every three years.

Read also: Property agents' and agencies' disciplinary records now more visible on CEA website; enforcement actions rise

Fees paid by property agencies and agents:

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*Licence fees are tiered by the size of property agencies. Note: No change in licence and registration fees, which will still be charged annually. Source: Council for Estate Agencies.

Eugene Lim, key executive officer of ERA Singapore, said switching to a three-year cycle is a "sensible advancement".

It will provide a clearer timeline for planning the development, support and engagement of ERA’s sales team over the longer term, added Lim, who is also president of the Singapore Institute of Estate Agents (SIEA).

Diverse transaction types recognised for currency requirement

Meanwhile, the new currency requirement is intended to uphold industry professionalism.

Under this requirement, the three transactions can include the sale, purchase and rental of various property types: HDB flats, private residential properties, commercial properties, and industrial properties. En bloc sales, as well as the sale of foreign properties, will also be recognised.

For the majority of property transactions, CEA will recognise one agent for each side of the completed deal — that is, it will count as one transaction for an agent representing the seller, and one transaction for an agent representing the buyer.

That said, for certain complex deals such as collective sales or those involving high-end commercial or industrial properties, CEA may recognise more than one agent for each side of a transaction. The specific number of agents to be recognised will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

If an agent did not complete at least three transactions by the end of a three-year cycle, they can sit for the refresher examination, which will focus on practice-related knowledge essential for conducting estate agency work.

Agents who fail to facilitate at least three completed deals or pass the refresher examination will exit the industry. They will need to retake and pass the real estate salesperson exam again to return to the industry.

Chan Khar Liang, executive director of CEA, said: “During our engagements with industry stakeholders, they have consistently highlighted the potential risk posed by property agents who do not complete transactions regularly.”

For instance, there are concerns 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.

In a case study from 2021, a property agent who had facilitated unauthorised room rentals of an HDB flat incurred a $5,000 financial penalty and a five-month suspension. During the disciplinary hearing, the agent claimed that he was short of experience and was doing estate agency work part-time.

Chan said: "As property transactions are one of the largest financial decisions Singaporeans make, it is therefore important that property agents meet the new currency requirement as we extend the licence and registration validity period to three years."

The existing annual Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirement, a renewal criterion for agents, will continue to apply. From 2026, property agents have to complete 16 CPF training hours per year to maintain their registrations.

Lim from ERA and SIEA pointed out that it is important not to equate a lower transaction count automatically with poor performance. "Some salespersons may focus on segments with longer transaction cycles, while newer agents often need more time to establish their networks and build a pipeline," he added.

Exemptions and waivers

For the currency requirement, CEA will exercise flexibility for certain groups of individuals — including new entrants and when there are special circumstances.

Property agents who have just joined the industry will get a first-year exemption, as they will not have to complete any transaction in their first year. This is to give them time to build up their skills and client base.

Over the remaining two years of their registration period, these new entrants will then be required to complete at least two transactions or pass the refresher examination, in order to renew their registrations.

Also, waivers may be granted on a case-by-case basis to property agents who are unable to meet the currency requirement due to extenuating circumstances, such as serious medical issues, or those who are handling complex property transactions.

A CEA spokesperson noted that the currency requirement has been set over a three-year period 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 spokesperson added.

In Lim's view, there may be some attrition among agents who are no longer meaningfully active in the industry.

Taken together, the three-year renewal cycle and currency requirement could shift the focus away from agency headcount towards the productivity of individual agents. Lim reckoned this would encourage agencies to invest more deliberately in agent development and to maintain closer engagement with their sales force.

A more transparent industry

A common concern raised by both property agents and consumers is the prevalence of inaccurate, fake, duplicate and unauthorised property listings.

To address this, CEA will be launching a full-scale platform to verify the authenticity of online listings in 2027. More details will be announced closer to implementation.

Besides finding the right property, consumers also need to choose the right agent. CEA is therefore also studying whether to publish consumers’ ratings of their property agents on the public register, while making it easier for consumers to access the register.

Another potential long-term measure is to require agents and their clients to sign an estate agency agreement and disclose who the agents are collecting commission from, before commencing work.

“A signed agreement will give greater clarity to all parties and prevent downstream disputes,” Sun noted.

CEA also plans to conduct a survey of agents about their agencies. “For existing property agents, we want to better understand how their property agencies support them,” Sun added.

Listing HDB resale flats

Meanwhile, HDB is studying whether to make its Resale Flat Listing service the default listing platform for resale flats, and will gather feedback from buyers, sellers and agents over the coming months.

If implemented, it may enhance transparency and help both buyers and sellers make informed decisions.

This is not intended to replace existing property portals. Property agents and sellers will still be able to continue advertising on other platforms as well.

Currently, it is not mandatory for property agents and sellers to list resale flats on Resale Flat Listing service.