Every now and then, a piece of industry news comes along that I feel my clients should know about — not because it changes what you can buy or sell, but because it changes what you can expect from the person helping you.
On 28 July 2026, at the Singapore Institute of Estate Agents (SIEA) Conference, Senior Minister of State for National Development Ms Sun Xueling announced a set of changes to how property agents are regulated. The one that made the headlines is what people are calling the “minimum transaction rule”.
Let me explain it simply, and then share why I think it is a good thing for you.
What is changing ?
From 1 January 2027, there are three confirmed changes :
(1) Agent registrations will last three years instead of one. Today, we agents renew our registration every year. From 2027, licences and registrations will be valid for three years. For agents renewing at the end of 2026, the first cycle runs from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2029.
(2) A new “Currency Requirement”. To renew, an agent must either complete at least three qualifying property transactions over the three years, OR pass a refresher examination.
(3) CEA will start collecting commission data from agencies monthly from 1 January 2027. This is to be published one day as anonymised, industry-level statistics — not individual agents’ earnings.
What counts as a “qualifying transaction” ?
Quite a broad range, thankfully. HDB resale and rental transactions, private residential sales and rentals, commercial and industrial transactions, collective sales, and overseas property sales.
I was glad to see industrial and commercial deals included, as these can take many months to close. As I have shared before, one of my industrial deals took about six months of persistent work before we found the right buyer.
What about new agents ?
New agents get some breathing room. They are not required to complete any transactions in their first year, which gives them time to learn the ropes and build a client base. From the second year onwards, they need two qualifying transactions over the remaining two years, or pass the refresher exam.
And if an agent genuinely cannot meet it ?
CEA has said that agents facing extenuating circumstances — serious medical issues, or handling complex transactions that take longer — may apply through their agencies for a waiver, considered case by case.
Agents in management roles who do not do estate agency work simply do not need to keep their registration.
Why is this happening ?
The numbers tell the story. According to CEA’s 2024 Public Perception Survey, three in four consumers expect their agent to complete at least one transaction each year. Yet around 40% of registered agents do not close even one deal a year.
As Ms Sun put it, consumers should be able to trust that their agent’s advice reflects the latest rules and regulations. And SIEA President Mr Eugene Lim (who is also KEO of ERA) noted that three transactions over three years works out to an average of one a year — a reasonable baseline for someone who intends to stay actively in the profession.
My honest thoughts, as a full-time agent
I will be upfront : this rule does not affect me personally. I transact regularly across HDB, private, rental and industrial, and I have done so for years. So I am not writing this out of worry.
But I do want to say why I think it matters for you.
Our rules in Singapore change often. SSD rates changed in July 2025. En bloc consent thresholds are being debated right now. CPF rules, grant eligibility, ABSD timelines, MOP conditions — these shift, and the details matter enormously when it is your family’s money.
An agent who has not done a deal in three years may still remember the rules as they were three years ago. And in this business, being slightly out of date is not a small thing. It can cost a client their grant eligibility, or land them with a stamp duty bill they did not expect, or leave them with a timeline that does not work.
I feel this most strongly in the sensitive cases I handle — helping a couple through a divorce, or helping someone over 55 plan their retirement housing. In those situations, the client is already carrying a lot. They deserve an agent whose knowledge is current, whose hands are steady, and who has done this recently enough to know where the pitfalls are.
What else is being studied ?
Beyond the three confirmed changes, CEA is looking at several other proposals. None of these are confirmed yet :
(1) Making it compulsory to sign an Estate Agency Agreement before work begins, with upfront disclosure of who pays the commission and how much.
(2) A listing-verification platform to tackle fake, duplicated and unauthorised listings, expected to launch next year.
(3) Whether HDB’s Resale Flat Listing service should become the default platform for HDB resale flats. Over 12,500 verified listings have been posted since May 2024, with more than 60% transacting successfully. This is not meant to replace commercial portals.
(4) Whether homeowners should be allowed to list their properties directly on commercial portals.
(5) A verified review system allowing clients to rate their agents.
(6) A survey of agents about their experiences with their agencies.
What this means for you as a consumer
Honestly ? Not much changes in your day-to-day. But you gain something quietly valuable : greater confidence that whoever holds a valid registration in 2030 is someone who has actually been working in this market.
In the meantime, you can already check any agent on the CEA Public Register. It shows their licence and registration details, their residential transactions over the past 36 months, any SIEA awards, and any enforcement actions taken. Please do use it. Check your agent — including me. I would rather you choose me with your eyes open.
Closing thoughts
I have always believed that this job is not about how many name cards you hold, but about whether you are truly present for your clients when it matters. Rules like this simply put on paper what good agents have been doing all along.
If you are thinking of buying, selling or renting, and you would like to speak to someone who does this full-time and stays current with the rules, do drop me a message. No pressure, no hard selling. Just an honest conversation about your situation.
Sources : Announcements by SMS Sun Xueling at the SIEA Conference, 28 July 2026, and subsequent CEA clarifications. Information is for general reference and does not constitute professional or legal advice.
