2023 ESTATE AGENT LICENCE RENEWAL EXERCISE
The Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) will be conducting the 2023 estate agent (EA) licence Renewal Exercise from 1 October to 30 November 2023.
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Key Reminder
Estate agents (EA) are advised to purchase your Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) early (before 1 October 2023) and ensure that your PII coverage is from 1 January to 31 December 2024. If you have purchased your EA’s PII through bolttech Insurance Brokers Pte Ltd (previously AVA) or SingCapital, your PII details will be auto-populated into your EA renewal application form. If you have purchased your EA’s PII from other insurers, please update your EA's PII details at the EA profile page.
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Timeline and Key Steps
Things to Note
A) Ensure that the latest details of the EA, KEO and its directors/partners are updated in the existing ACEAS profile
There is no need for renewing EAs, KEOs and directors/partners to create a new ACEAS profile.
If there are any changes to the profile details of the EA, please log in to CEA’s e-services for Corporate any time (and not wait till the renewal exercise) to update the EA's profile. If there are any changes to the profile details of the KEO and directors/partners, please log in to CEA’s e-services for Individual any time (and not wait till the renewal exercise) to update these profiles.
For your convenience, your latest profile details (i.e., name, address and contact details, education, industry qualification details, and fit and proper declarations) will be auto-populated into your renewal application.
B) KEOs do not need to submit a separate RES registration renewal application
The EA licence renewal application will also include the KEO’s RES registration renewal application. As such, the KEO only needs to submit one EA licence renewal application for the renewal of both the EA licence and the KEO’s RES registration.
C) Ensure that the EA’s directors/partners submit their renewal applications
When the renewal exercise starts on 1 October 2023, directors/partners may proceed to submit their renewal application by logging in to CEA’s e-services for Individual and clicking on "Renew" button in the Director/Partner Renewal 2023 banner on the ACEAS dashboard. There is no need for directors/partners to wait for the EA to initiate its EA licence renewal application. After the directors/partners complete their renewal application, it will automatically be pre-populated into the EA licence renewal application form when it is initiated by the KEO.
Do note that the KEO can only submit the EA licence renewal application to CEA after all the EA’s directors/partners have submitted their renewal applications.
D) Submission of the EA’s RESs registration renewal applications
RESs may proceed to initiate their registration renewal application in ACEAS and submit it to their EAs for verification checks. The EAs can only submit their RESs’ registration renewal applications after it has submitted its own licence renewal application to CEA. This is to ensure that the RES are renewing their registration with an EA who is also renewing its licence for 2024.
E) Payment of Renewal Fees
The EA will pay the renewal fees for all renewal applications submitted to CEA. The EA has to ensure that its GIRO account registered with CEA is active and must have sufficient funds before submitting the renewal applications to CEA for processing.
Invoices will be generated every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (excluding Public Holidays or on days where there is ad-hoc system maintenance) for renewal applications at “Pending fee payment”. GIRO deduction by the bank will take place and complete in the next two working days.
The renewal application fee is payable every alternate renewal (e.g., if your EA paid the renewal application fee in 2022, your EA does not need to pay the application fee in 2023). Find out more about the renewal fees comprising the application fee, registration fee and licence fee here.
Renewal Process
Please see the detailed renewal guide in the table below.
Frequently Asked Questions
For Renewing EA
| 1. |
After submitting the EA licence renewal application, does the KEO still need to submit his/her RES registration renewal application? |
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Answer:
The KEO only needs to log in to CEA’s e-services for Corporate and submit the EA licence renewal application, which will also include the KEO’s own RES registration renewal application.
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| 2. |
Can the EA submit its RESs’ renewal applications if it has not submitted its own licence renewal application to CEA?
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Answer:
The EA must submit its own licence renewal application to CEA before it can submit the renewal applications of its RESs.
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For KEO
| 3. |
If the KEO no longer wish to renew the EA for 2024, does the KEO need to submit a non-renewal application?
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Answer:
If the KEO no longer wishes to renew the EA for 2024, no action is required from the KEO. The KEO does not need to submit a non-renewal application in ACEAS. The EA licence and the RES registration will lapse after 31 December 2023.
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| 4. |
Can the EA do a change of KEO during/after the renewal exercise? |
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Answer:
For an EA to be successfully renewed for 2024, the KEO of the EA must also renew its RES registration for the same period. If the EA decides to change its KEO during the renewal period, it will require the EA to remove its KEO and the EA will not be able to renew its EA licence. Therefore, to ensure a smooth renewal exercise for the EA and its RESs, the EA should only apply for a change of KEO from 1 January 2024 onwards.
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| 5. |
How does the EA upload the PII cover note for 2024? |
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Answer:
If the EA’s PII insurer is neither bolttech Insurance Brokers Pte Ltd (previously AVA) or SingCapital, there are two methods for the EA to upload the PII cover note.
Method 1:
Before clicking on the Renew button (refer to Step 4 of the 2023 Renewal Guide on the Renewal Process for EA (with KEO renewal)), the EA can upload the PII details in the EA profile page. The PII details will then be pre-populated in the EA licence renewal application.
The steps are:
The KEO needs to log in to CEA’s e-services for Corporate > Click on Services > Profile Management > PII Information > Create > Fill up the required details and upload the cover note > Submit.
Method 2:
You may upload the PII details directly in the PII Details section of the EA licence renewal application (refer to Step 13 of the 2023 Renewal Guide on the Renewal Process for EA (with KEO renewal)).
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| 6. |
How does the EA check the status of the EA licence renewal application after it is submitted to CEA? |
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Answer:
The KEO needs to log in to CEA’s e-services for Corporate > Click on Services > EA Management > EA Licence (Renewal) to view the status of the EA licence renewal application.
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For Director/Partner
| 7. |
After the director/partner submits his/her renewal application, does he/she still need to submit another RES registration renewal application?
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Answer:
The director/partner only needs to submit his/her director/partner renewal application, no separate RES registration renewal application is required. This application will also renew the RES registration of the director/partner with the EA that he/she is registered with.
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| 8. |
Does the director/partner who are foreigners (without Singpass) need to submit its director/partner renewal application in ACEAS? |
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Answer:
Currently, directors/partners who are foreigners and who do not have Singpass are not in the EA’s member list in ACEAS. As such, they are not required to submit their director/partner renewal application in ACEAS. However, CEA will separately contact the EAs whose directors/partners are foreigners, to guide the EA on how to proceed with their renewal applications.
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| 9. |
Can the EA do an addition/removal of director/partner during/after the renewal exercise? |
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Answer:
After the EA has successfully renewed its EA licence for 2024, the EA may proceed with the application to add or remove its directors/partners.
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