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
09/2016 Failing to Supervise Salesperson to Ensure that She Conducted her Estate Agency Work in a Professional and Reasonable Manner (PDF,598KB)
10/2016 Misleading Buyer on the Area of the Property (PDF,574KB)
11/2016 Failing to Inform Clients that the HDB Flat that they Purchased Had A Remaining Lease Duration of Less Than 60 Years and of the Relevant Restrictions on the Use of CPF Monies (PDF,442KB)
12/2016 Misrepresenting a Relevant Fact to a Third Party (i.e. non-client) and Thereby Failing to Act Reasonably Towards this Third Party (PDF,519KB)
13/2016 Misrepresentation on Co-Broke Arrangement, Forgery of Signatures and Failure to Record Exact Agreement on Tenancy Agreement (PDF,508KB)
14/2016 Failure to Provide a Written Advisory Message to Buyers on Risks for Foreign Properties (PDF,406KB)
01/2015 Misleading Potential Buyer That Offer Was Rejected, and Further Misleading Statements (PDF,600KB)
02/2015 Arranging for the Sublease of a HDB Rental Flat Contrary to HDB Rules and Failing to Account for and Declare Commission to her Estate Agent (PDF,595KB)
03/2015 Misleading a Public Officer by Holding Out as False Relation of Client and Knowingly Submitting to the HDB the Incorrect Resale Checklist on Behalf of Client (PDF,594KB)
04/2015 Misleading the Other Parties Regarding Commission and Failing to Convey Offers to Clients (PDF,602KB)
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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.