CEA’s “Ask CEA" Chatbot Answers Popular Questions from Property Consumers

A: You can verify if a property agency is licensed or a property agent is registered via CEA's Public Register.

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 a valid registration.

Before engaging a property agent, visit the CEA Public Register to verify: 

• If the property agent has a valid registration

• Transaction records of resale HDB flats, private residential sale/purchase, and rental transactions facilitated by the property agent in the last two years

• Industry accolades and awards received by the agent

• His/Her disciplinary records, if any, within the last two years

You can verify the property agency or agent by searching the property agency's name or licence number, as well as the property agent's name, registration number, or mobile number. If you are meeting the property agent in person, you can also verify his/her identity from the photograph displayed in the CEA Public Register.

In light of scams involving individuals posing as registered property agents, we encourage you to verify that the property agent is registered with CEA by searching for the property agent on the CEA Public Register using the advertised phone number.

If the search does not lead to a property agent’s profile page, it means that the phone number is not registered with CEA by any property agent and could be an indication that the advertisement is a scam.

Property agencies and agents who have been suspended or have had their licences or registrations revoked will not be reflected in the CEA Public Register.

A: Landlords, tenants, and property agents can download standard tenancy agreement templates for residential properties (both HDB flats and private residential properties). There are no tenancy agreement templates for commercial and industrial properties.

Do note that the templates are just a guide, and it is not compulsory to use them.

The templates are aimed at protecting the interests of both tenants and landlords by including clauses relating to the main aspects of a tenancy for parties to negotiate, while providing flexibility by allowing additional clauses to be included.

The templates also contain the generally applicable clauses that govern the rights and obligations of the parties involved, and provide a guide on things to look out for at the end of the tenancy.

Some things to note about the standard tenancy agreement templates:

• The templates were drafted by the Digitalised Property Transactions Worksgroup with input from experienced industry practitioners

• The templates are only available in English

• If you would like to request editable templates (in .docx format), please contact CEA.

A: CEA does not regulate the commission rates charged by property agencies. Commissions are determined by market forces.

 Some things to note:

• You should discuss with your property agent, compare and negotiate the best rates for the services required, before agreeing to the commission amount and engaging the property agent and his/her agency.

• The agreed commission amount must be stated in CEA's Prescribed Estate Agency Agreement if there is such an agreement signed between the consumer and the property agency.

• You should also check whether GST is payable on the commission. The commission rate and GST (if applicable) must also be stated in any prescribed estate agency agreement signed between you and the property agency. 

• You should pay the commission to the property agency directly, and not to the property agent. This should only be done after the transaction is completed.