Lay a solid foundation

Ensure your agent is registered with the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA)

All property agents in Singapore must be registered with the CEA through a licensed property agency. Each registered property agent has a unique CEA registration number, e.g. R123456A.

It is an offence for any individual to carry out estate agency work without valid registration. Read more.

Check CEA's Public Register to verify if your property agent is registered before engaging him.

Seed trust

Negotiate your agent's commission before work starts and honour it after the transaction has been completed.

Commission rates are not fixed; there is no minimum nor maximum percentage, nor “standard market rate”. Also, CEA does not fix nor provide any guidelines on commission amounts.

You are free to negotiate the amount and components of the fees and expenses, as well as terms with the agent before he starts work. Check if GST is included too. Only GST-registered property agencies are allowed to charge and collect GST.

After the transaction has been completed, you should pay the commission to the property agency, not the agent.

Nurture good habits

Ensure your agent only represents you in a property transaction

This means that he cannot be appointed by both seller/landlord and buyer/tenant for the same transaction.

Your agent should also conduct the necessary checks for your transaction. Here are some checklists to guide you and your agent.

Cultivate responsibility

Sign two important documents

  1. CEA’s prescribed estate agency agreements

    An estate agency agreement is a binding contract between you and the property agency to protect the interests of both parties. The agreement stipulates the agency’s duties, the agreed commission rate, and requires the agent acting on behalf of the agency to declare any conflict of interest.

    Use the agreements for the sale, purchase, and lease of residential properties in Singapore and sign the document with the property agency before your agent starts work. Read more to find out the about the different types of agreements that work best for you.

  2. Customer’s Particulars Form

    Once you have decided to engage a property agent, you must fill in a compulsory Customer’s Particulars Form. This form is one of the measures agents must take to prevent money laundering and counter terrorism financing in Singapore.

    Your agent will provide you with the form. Fill in your particulars, sign the form, and hand it to your agent.