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02-02-12, 16:14
http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_761072.html

Most complaints against property agents resolved

Published on Jan 31, 2012

By Shuli Sudderuddin & Peter Wong


THREE-QUARTERS of complaints against property agents were resolved successfully, the watchdog in charge of cleaning up the industry said yesterday.

The Council for Estate Agencies has handled 1,431 cases since it was set up in October 2010.

Seventy-five per cent of them were closed, meaning they were assessed and follow-up action was taken. This could involve agents being sent letters of advice or warnings. A handful of cases ended up in court or before disciplinary hearings.

Misleading advertisements, unprofessional service and misconduct are among the most common causes of complaints. The watchdog has been trying to improve professional standards by making all agents register themselves. More than 30,500 had signed up by Jan 1 this year.

Educational standards in the industry appear to be rising, according to figures released yesterday by the council. Eighty-one per cent of agents new to the profession have tertiary education. This compares with just 53 per cent among those already working.

The watchdog's rules include those barring agents from giving themselves misleading titles such as 'specialist' or 'expert'. They also cannot use figures in their publicity material without showing clearly where they have come from.

Agents have to display their registration cards prominently, and are not allowed to promise that HDB flat sellers will receive a certain cash premium.

Yesterday, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan wrote on his blog that the watchdog has 'had a good one year'.

However, he said there was more to be done. This includes refining the rules that agents have to work by, improving training in the industry, and educating consumers about their rights and responsibilities.

Mr Khaw said the Government is also reviewing the way the council resolves disputes, to see whether this can be done with the help of the Small Claims Tribunal.

Industry players agreed that more training for the agents would be a good idea. At the moment, they have to do six hours per year of a continuing professional development (CPD) programme. This figure will be raised over time.

Mr Sebastian Yeo of the Dennis Wee Group said: 'I also feel six hours of CPD are not enough, and 12 hours would be better. I hope that the whole industry will be cleaned up in two to three years.'

PropNex chief executive Mohamed Ismail said he was pleased with the progress made by the watchdog.

'I feel that this is a good start for an industry that has been unregulated for a long time,' he said.

'It may take some time as there are over 30,000 people in the business, but I feel that this will bring up the standards for the industry as a whole.'

The cases that have ended up in court include that of Tan Cher Peng, 45. This month, he became the first agent to be sentenced for breaching the regulations. He was jailed for a month and fined $32,000 for acting as an unregistered salesman.