The Valuers Act 2003 requires a person to be registered before they may practise or advertise as a valuer. A corporation must not practise or advertise as a valuer unless at least one director or employee is a registered valuer. 

A student valuer working under the supervision of a registered valuer is not required to be registered. Architects, engineers, surveyors or quantity surveyors are exempt from the requirement to be registered where valuation of a property is done incidentally to the performance of their services.

Under the Valuers Act 2003, registration is granted for a period of three years. Registration must be renewed before expiry if the registered person wishes to continue practising as a valuer.

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The Act provides for one category of registered valuer.

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Registration fees prescribed in the Valuers Regulation 2005 are for the three year registration period.

The Licensing and Registration (Uniform Procedures) Act 2002 applies to applications for registration. This Act introduces consistent licence application procedures for the various NSW government licences and registrations.

Where the Office of Fair Trading refuses an application, this Act allows the Office to retain part of the application fee as a ‘processing fee’ to cover its administrative costs. The higher ‘processing fee’ component for initial applications compared to renewal applications reflects the higher cost to the Office of verifying qualifications and carrying out police checks.

Where a person is unable to or forgets to renew their registration before the end of the three year registration period, the registration expires and the person is no longer authorised to practise as a valuer.  An application may be made within three months to have the registration restored.  After this period has ended, a new application for registration would need to be lodged with Fair Trading.

The application fees can be viewed in the Fees section on this website.

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To apply for a registration as a valuer, go to the Business Licence Information System website, where you will find a range of information about qualifications for registration and can download application forms and additional information.

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A registered valuer is authorised to value:

• land (including any estate or interest in land)
• an exclusive right to the separate occupation of land or a building or part of a building (whether the right derives from the ownership of a share or interest in a body corporate or arising in some other way)
• an access licence under the Water Management Act 2000
• within the meaning of the Fisheries Management Act 1994: a share in a share management fishery, an endorsement on a commercial fishing licence in relation to a restricted fishery, a fishing business or an aquaculture lease.

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Registration as a valuer may be granted subject to conditions, including but not limited to:

• a restriction on the kinds of property that can be valued
• a condition limiting the person to working only as an employee or under the supervision of a valuer whose registration is not subject to such a condition
• a requirement for the person to undertake specified additional studies within a specified period of time
• a requirement for the person to undertake specified professional development within the term of their registration

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Educational qualifications for registration as a valuer are set by the Commissioner for Fair Trading. The Commissioner may approve qualifications by reference to:

• the completion of a course of study
• the completion of a period of training in valuing property
• the attainment of a standard of competency in valuing property
• registration under the Valuers Registration Act 1975 (before the repeal of that Act) or under a corresponding law.

Approved qualifications for registration as a valuer:

• Completion of one of the following courses of study pursuant to section 8(3)(a):

Currently available courses:

• Advanced diploma of Property (Valuation), Course 91164NSW, TAFE Course 21
• Bachelor of Business (Property), University of Western Sydney
• Bachelor of Business (Property economics), University of Western Sydney
  (formerly known as Bachelor of Commerce (Property economics))
• Bachelor of Property economics (or Land economics), University of Technology Sydney
• Master of Property and Development (Valuation), University of New South Wales

Discontinued courses:

• Advanced diploma of Property (Valuation), TAFE Course 8308
• Associate diploma in Business (Valuation), TAFE Course 8577
• Associate diploma in Valuation, TAFE Course 8571
• Bachelor of Applied science (Land economics), University of Technology Sydney
• Bachelor of Business (Land economy), University of Western Sydney
• Graduate diploma in Valuation, University of New South Wales
• Master of Real estate, University of New South Wales
• Registration under the Valuers Registration Act 1975 before the repeal of that Act pursuant to section 8 (3)(d) of the Valuers Act 2003
• Qualifications prescribed under a corresponding law for the purposes of section 8(3)(d)
• Qualifications specified by the Minister responsible for administering the Valuation of Land Act 1960 of Victoria for persons making council rating valuations
• Bachelor of Applied science (Property valuation), Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
• Graduate diploma in Property valuation, University of Melbourne
• Qualifications prescribed under the Valuers Act 1948 of New Zealand.

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Generally, a person is disqualified from being registered as a valuer if they:

• have a conviction for an offence involving dishonesty in the last 10 years
• are an undischarged bankrupt
• during the preceding three years, were an undischarged bankrupt, or applied to take the benefit of any law for the relief of bankrupt or insolvent debtors, compounded with creditors or made an assignment of remuneration for the benefit of creditors
• are concerned in the management of a corporation subject of a winding-up order or for which a controller or administrator has been appointed
• during the preceding three years, were concerned in the management of a corporation when the corporation was the subject of a winding-up order or when a controller or administrator was appointed
• are mentally incapacitated
• are disqualified from acting as a valuer under a corresponding law of another Australian state or territory or whose authority to act as a valuer has been suspended
• hold a licence, permit or other authority that is suspended under the Fair Trading Act 1987 (NSW)
• are in partnership as a valuer with a disqualified person
• are, at the time of applying, declared to be a disqualified person under Part 3 of the Act 
• have failed to pay any monetary penalty payable under Part 3 of the Act or have failed to comply with a direction of the Commissioner under that Part, and the failure continues
• is in breach of any provision of the Valuers Act 2003 or Valuers Regulation 2005 that is prescribed in the Regulation as a disqualifying breach.

In some of the above cases, the Commissioner has discretion to issue registration in certain mitigating circumstances. Refer to section 9 of the Act for more detail.

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A person who is aggrieved by a decision of the Commissioner for Fair Trading in relation to an application for the grant, renewal or restoration of registration, or a decision to impose conditions upon registration, may apply for a review of the decision. To do so, the person is required to write to the Commissioner requesting that the decision be reviewed.

Where the person remains dissatisfied with the outcome of the review, an application may be made to the Administrative Decisions Tribunal for a review of the Commissioner’s decision.

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The Commissioner is required to maintain a Register of registered valuers, containing the following particulars:

• the valuer’s name, registration number, registration date and the registration’s expiry date
• any conditions to which registration is subject
• applications for registration that are refused
• prosecutions taken under the Act and the result of those prosecutions
• warning notices published under the Act
• disciplinary action taken under the Act
• undertakings given under the Act by a registered valuer.

Any person is entitled to inspect any entry in the Register by contacting the Office of Fair Trading in writing or by telephone on 13 32 20.

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A valuer can surrender their registration by returning their certificate of registration to the Commissioner for Fair Trading with a letter requesting that it be cancelled.

A valuer who surrenders their registration within the first or second year of the three year registration period is entitled to a partial refund of their registration fees.

Where registration is surrendered within the first year of registration, the valuer is entitled to a refund of two-thirds of the fixed component of the fee. Where registration is surrendered within the second year, the refund will be for one-third of the fixed component of the fee.

No refund will be made if the registration is surrendered during its third year. Processing fee components are not refundable.

Similar refunds may be made where a valuer dies within the first or second year of their registration period. The valuer’s next of kin or executor of their estate will need to write to the Office of Fair Trading to request the refund.

The refund entitlements came into effect on 17 February 2006.

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