Past Disciplinary Cases

The following are disciplinary cases brought by the Council for Estate Agencies against salespersons or estate agents for breaching the Estate Agents Act (Cap. 95A) or regulations made thereunder including the Code of Ethics and Professional Client Care or the Code of Practice for Estate Agents.

These cases illustrate the misconduct which had been committed and the charges which were brought as well as the penalties that were imposed by the Disciplinary Committee upon the respective respondents. The cases are examples of breaches of the respective regulations and the penalties that are meted out for breaches would depend upon the facts and circumstances of each case. They are meant to inform salespersons about the disciplinary cases which have been concluded and to remind them not to commit such breaches of the Act or Regulations.

The cases are also meant to provide respondents in on-going disciplinary proceedings (who may be facing charges similar to those cited in the cases and who wish to know about precedents e.g. for plea bargaining purposes) with information on the previous decisions on penalties which were meted out by the Disciplinary Committee.

Filter by Year :

S/N Case Title
09/2018 Failure to Provide Written Advisory Message to Buyers and Explain Dispute Resolution Mechanism for Foreign Properties (PDF, 457KB)
01/2017 Misrepresenting to the Buyer that the Buyer's Initial Offer was Rejected and Brought Discredit or Disrepute to the Real Estate Industry (PDF, 549KB)
02/2017 Failing to Declare in Writing Potential Conflict of Interest and Failing to Render Professional and Conscientious Service to her Client (PDF, 1278KB)
03/2017 Failing to Declare in Writing Potential Conflict of Interest, Failing to Act Ethically Towards Estate Agent and Failing to Perform Work According to HDB Regulations, Rules and Procedures (PDF, 1593KB)
04/2017 Facilitating a Rental Transaction Having Reason to Believe that the Property Might Be Used for Vice Related Activities (PDF, 292KB)
05/2017 Failure to Conduct Work with Due Diligence and Care to Ascertain Identity of Tenants (PDF, 583KB)
06/2017 Deceiving the Landlords about the Identity of the Tenant/Occupant and Misrepresenting to the Tenant/Occupant that the Landlords Agreed to let her Lease the Property (PDF, 888KB)
07/2017 Deceiving the Landlords about the Identity of the Tenant/Occupant of the Property and Withheld Relevant Fact from the Tenant/Occupant (PDF, 485KB)
08/2017 Failure to Act Ethically by Inducing Associate to Pose as Buyer (PDF, 939KB)
09/2017 Advertising Properties Without Owners' Consent (PDF, 541KB)
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Contravention of HDB's rules

  1. Estate agents and salespersons must not undertake estate agency work in respect of Housing and Development Board flats unless they are fully conversant and comply with the applicable laws, regulations, rules and procedures that apply to transactions involving such flats.
  2. The following cases are meant to provide salespersons with a useful resource of past breaches. The cases can be accessed here (PDF,125KB). 

Advice to Salespersons

  • If the client's instructions are not in accordance with the law, the salesperson should advise the client accordingly. If the client persists, the salesperson should discharge himself.
  • Obtain consent to advertise before marketing any property.
  • Advertisements must provide accurate information.
  • If in doubt, the salesperson should verify the client's information.
  • Salespersons should not facilitate subletting of HDB rental flats.
  • HDB rental flats are not meant to be sublet and it is a serious matter to do so.