Apply for a real estate agent licence

You must have a valid licence to work as a real estate agent. If you don’t have a licence, you must submit an application for an individual's licence.

Authorised activities

A real estate agent licence allows you to:

• own or manage a real estate agency
• buy, sell, exchange or rent houses, businesses, land or any interest in these
• negotiate on behalf of a buyer, seller, landlord or exchanging or renting of houses, businesses or land
• show property to potential buyers
• inspect and assess property for sale or rent
• collect rent on behalf of a landlord
• advertise a property for rent or sale (includes setting up signs)
• open up a property for inspection for sale or rent
• manage an apartment complex and sell any units independently, without having to work through an established agency
• operate a trust account on behalf of sellers and buyers.

Please note: you may not auction property under this licence.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a real estate agent licence, you must:

• be 18 or older
• pass the required training courses.

Suitability

You are not suitable to hold a real estate agent licence if you:

• are an insolvent under administration
• are currently disqualified from holding a licence or registration certificate.
• have been convicted of a serious offence within the past 5 years.

We also consider if you:

• have a criminal history
• have been an executive officer of a corporation that was previously licensed, but has gone insolvent
• were the subject of a successful claim fund action
• have had your licence or registration certificate cancelled or been suspended from holding one
• have been previously disqualified from holding a licence or registration certificate
• are disqualified from being a company director
• have previously been an insolvent under administration
• are incapable of satisfactorily doing the job of a licensee
• are unsuitable because of your character or the character of your business associates
• are allowed to work in Australia.

Serious offences

A serious offence is anything punishable by 3 or more years in prison, including:

• violent offences (including threats to use violence)
• fraud and dishonesty
• drug trafficking
• extortion
• arson
• unlawful stalking, intimidation, harassment or abuse
• an offence of a sexual nature.

Receivership or liquidation

You must tell us if you have ever been an executive officer of a corporation that:

• was previously licensed
• has gone into receivership or liquidation.

You must also tell us:

• what circumstances caused it to happen
• whether you took all reasonable steps to avoid these circumstances
• what assets you had available to distribute
• how much money (if any) you paid in dividends
• whether you broke any laws relating to these circumstances
• whether you are disqualified from being a company director or other officer.

You must also include a report from the receiver or liquidator that gives us:

• a detailed list of your creditors
• the amount of money you still owe to each creditor.

Non-citizens

If you are not an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you need to:

• give us a certified copy of your passport
• have a visa that allows you to work in Australia.

Lodgement

When you lodge the form, you will need to attach formal identification. These documents must be original or certified copies.

Your identification must be a certified copy of any of the following documents:

• Birth certificate or extract
• Driver’s licence
• Passport
• Citizenship certificate

You will need to the required fees when you lodge your application.

You will also need to attach your proof of qualifications.

Places of business

You may have multiple places of business, but you must register all of your business addresses when you apply for your licence. The person in charge at the principal place of business must have a current individual licence. You must also appoint a licensee or registered salesperson in charge at each other place of business.

However, a registered salesperson cannot be person in charge if:

• the place of business operates as a resident letting agency
• their registration is subject to conditions.

Find out more about places of business.

Criminal history check

To confirm your suitability, we will submit your application for a criminal history check. This will be thorough and may be time consuming.

If you were born in New Zealand or have a New Zealand passport, you need to get a copy of your criminal history or a letter indicating you have no criminal history from New Zealand. For more information, visit the New Zealand Ministry of Justice website.

We can only accept original documents dated within one month of the date you send them to us. Please note, it can take up to 20 working days to process a request for a New Zealand criminal history check. There is no fee payable for you to get a New Zealand criminal history check.

Processing time

The processing time is 4–6 weeks. This can take longer if your application is not complete. This might be because of:

• missing information
• unpaid fees.

We will contact you if you submitted an incomplete application. You will need to complete the application before we can proceed. Otherwise, we may withdraw your application.

Refunds

Depending on your circumstances, you may be entitled to a partial refund if:

• you withdraw your application
• we refuse your application.

You may also get a refund on the fee for your criminal history check if it hasn’t been started yet.

Training

You must pass these training subjects from a recognised provider in order to apply for a licence. The only exception is if you’ve held an equivalent licence within the past 2 years.

You must have successfully completed or been assessed as competent in the required subjects. These subjects are taken following industry-recognised training packages:

• Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice (CPP41419)

and

• Diploma of Property (Agency Management) (CPP51122).

Find a training provider in Queensland.

You will need to give us evidence that you have successfully completed the following units from these training packages:

Course code	Name of course
CPPREP4001	Prepare for professional practice in real estate
CPPREP4002	Access and interpret ethical practice in real estate
CPPREP4003	Access and interpret legislation in real estate
CPPREP4004	Establish marketing and communication profiles in real estate
CPPREP4005	Prepare to work with real estate trust accounts
CPPREP4101	Appraise property for sale or lease
CPPREP4102	Market property
CPPREP4103	Establish vendor relationships
CPPREP4104	Establish buyer relationships
CPPREP4105	Sell property
CPPREP4121	Establish landlord relationships
CPPREP4122	Manage tenant relationship
CPPREP4123	Manage tenancy
CPPREP4124	End tenancy
CPPREP4125	Transact in trust account
CPPREP4506	Manage off-site and lone worker safety in real estate
CPPREP5006	Manage operational finances in the property industry
CPPREP5010	Manage customer service activities in the property industry
CPPREP4503	Present at hearings in real estate

Note: Training completed from the superseded Property Services training package (CPP07) will no longer be accepted for licensing purposes.

Read about mandatory continuing professional development.

Student visa holders

It is an offence under the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 for a registered training organisation to provide training to an international student on a student visa, unless the training organisation holds registration on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions for Overseas Students (CRICOS).

Therefore, if you are in Australia on a student visa, you must make sure that the training organisation where you complete your training holds CRICOS registration.

Please note, training for each specified unit of competency must be completed through the CRICOS registered training provider.  We will not accept a training certificate issued by a CRICOS registered training provider as a result of a credit transfer.