When you need a certificate of registration, eligibility requirements, and how to apply.
On this page
When a certificate of registration is needed
Add or remove a category on your certificate of registration
Renew a certificate of registration
Working interstate and mutual recognition
Key information
- In NSW, you need a certificate of registration to start working as an assistant agent in real estate, stock and station, or strata management.
- A certificate of registration is issued for 4 years and is not renewable.
- Assistant agents must be employed by a licence holder and supervised by a licensee in charge who holds a class 1 licence in the same category of work being performed.
When a certificate of registration is needed
You need a certificate of registration if you want to work as an assistant agent in:
- real estate,
- stock and station, or
- strata management.
Assistant agent is the title given to all certificate of registration holders. This is an entry level position with limited functions, to allow you to get the experience and knowledge needed to become a licensed agent in the real estate and property industry.
A certificate of registration is issued for a four-year term and is not renewable.
Within the four-year period, you must complete your qualifications and progress to a Class 2 licence. If not, you must stop working as an assistant agent and cannot apply for a new certificate of registration for 12 months after the expiry of your certificate.
As an assistant agent, you must be employed by a licence holder and supervised by a licensee in charge who holds a class 1 licence in the same category of work you need to do.
Assistant agents can generally conduct any functions related to their certificate type. However, as an assistant agent, you cannot:
- enter into a contract for the sale of land,
- enter into an agency agreement, including sales agreement and property management agreements (except for agency agreements that relate only to the sale or purchase of livestock),
- enter into a franchising agreement,
- act as agent for the purchase, sale, exchange, lease, assignment or other disposal of rural land or livestock, whether or not an auction is involved
- affix the seal of the owner’s corporation (if you are an assistant agent in strata management), or
- authorise the withdrawal of money from a trust account.
Eligibility
There are certain requirements you must meet to get an assistant agent certificate of registration.
Who can apply
To be eligible for a certificate of registration, you must:
- be at least 16 years of age,
- be a fit and proper person to hold a certificate of registration,
- have the right qualifications for the type of certificate you are applying for,
- not be a disqualified person.
What does 'fit and proper' mean?
Fair Trading will perform checks (including financial and police checks) to determine whether you are a fit and proper person.
For example, this means you:
- have not been found guilty of an offence involving fraud or dishonesty in the last 10 years, and are not currently involved in court proceedings for such an offence.
- have not been convicted of an offence under the Property and Stock Agents Act 2002, the regulations, or another Act administered by the Minister for Fair Trading.
- are not a member of or regularly associate with members of a declared criminal organisation.
Who is a disqualified person?
Licensees cannot employ people who are disqualified from holding a licence or certificate of registration, or who have had their application refused because they are not a ‘fit and proper’ person.
There are several reasons why you might be disqualified under the Property and Stock Agents Act 2002 (the Act).
You can be disqualified if, for example, you:
- have a conviction involving dishonesty that was recorded in the last 10 years, or
- have a conviction that was recorded in the last 5 years for lending or transferring a licence or certificate of registration to another person.
You can also be disqualified if you have been suspended or disqualified from holding a licence, permit or other authority under another Act administered by the NSW Minister for Fair Trading.
The Secretary may choose to ignore these factors in deciding whether a person should be disqualified, if considered appropriate to do so.
You can view the full disqualified persons list in the Act.
How to apply
What you need
Before you start your application, make sure you have:
- personal and business details
- 2 forms of identification, such as an Australian driver licence or passport
- evidence of your qualifications from a registered training organisation (RTO)
- the details of your previous licence or certificate of registration (if applicable)
- employment details (if applicable)
- payment for the certificate fee. See our fees page for details.
Certificates are issued for 4 years and are non-renewable. If you have held a certificate in the last 12 months you may not be eligible to apply again.
Apply now
You can apply for a new certificate of registration online at the Service NSW website.
Your application will take about 20 minutes to complete.
To apply in-person, download and complete the application form and take it to your nearest Service NSW Centre.
What happens next?
1. Review application
Your application will be reviewed and assessed to check it meets eligibility requirements. This can take up to 30 business days.
We might contact you (by email or post) if we need more information.
2. Outcome advised
We will send an email to advise you if your application has been successful.
If your application is successful, the email will include a copy of your licence and your details will be added to the public register.
If your application is unsuccessful, you’ll be advised of the reasons in writing and be provided with your options.
Add or remove a category on your certificate of registration
You can add categories to your licence if you have completed the required qualifications.
You can also remove any categories you no longer need.
Before you apply to add or remove a category, make sure you have:
- evidence of the relevant qualifications for the category you’re applying for
- payment for the fee if you’re adding a category.
To apply in-person, download and complete the application form to add or remove a category and submit it with supporting documents at your nearest Service NSW Centre, or by email to [email protected].
It can take up to 30 days to process your application. You will be advised of the outcome via email.
Renew a certificate of registration
A certificate of registration is issued for a four-year term and is generally not renewable.
There are special arrangements in place for some certificate holders, primarily those with certificates expiring from 22 March 2024.
Certificate holders who work as an assistant agent in Stock and Station but are subject to a restriction condition to carry out livestock-related activities only, can renew their certificate online. This restricted certificate was only available to holders of a stock and station certificate of registration immediately before 23 March 2020 and is no longer being offered.
How to renew
Assistant stock and station agents who have a restriction condition to carry out livestock-related activities only, can renew their certificates online.
To renew, you will need:
- your certificate of registration number,
- your renewal number (from your renewal notice), or full personal details.
If your certificate of registration isn't renewed by the due date or is not restored, you will no longer be authorised to carry out live-stock related activities as an assistant stock and station agent in NSW.
As a certificate holder, it is your responsibility to tell us within 14 days if your name, address or other details change. You can do this by submitting the Notification of Change of Details form at a service NSW centre, or by email to [email protected].
Working interstate and mutual recognition
If you hold a current and equivalent licence in another state or territory you can use this form to apply for recognition of your qualifications to work in NSW.
You must also complete the Application for a Certificate of Registration – Assistant Agent form.
Both forms and supporting documentation must be submitted together by email to [email protected].
Qualification and training requirements
You need to hold certain qualifications and complete work experience to be an assistant agent in NSW.
You must also complete work experience training under the supervision of a licensee-in-charge to be able to progress to a class 2 licence.
Fair Trading can suspend your certificate of registration if you do not comply with the qualification and training requirements outlined below.
Qualifications
Assistant agents in real estate or stock and station
To apply for a certificate of registration in real estate or stock and station categories, you must have completed the following 5 core units from the Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice (CPP41419):
- Prepare for professional practice in real estate (CPPREP4001)
- Access and interpret ethical practice in real estate (CPREP4002)
- Access and interpret legislation in real estate (CPPREP4003)
- Establish marketing and communication profiles in real estate (CPPREP4004)
- Prepare to work with real estate trust accounts (CPPREP4005)
Assistant agents in strata management
To apply for a certificate of registration in strata management, you must have completed one of the pathways below.
Pathway 1
The following 7 units from the Certificate IV in Strata Community Management (CPP40516):
- Manage conflicts and disputes in the property industry (CPPDSM4056)
- Work in the property industry (CPPDSM3016)
- Implement customer service strategies in the property industry (CPPDSM4048)
- Identify and analyse risk and opportunities in the property industry (CPPDSM4028)
- Work in the strata community management sector (CPPDSM3017)
- Monitor a safe workplace in the property industry (CPPDSM4057)
- Communicate effectively to support customer service in real estate (CPPREP3002), or Communicate with clients in the property industry (CPPDSM3019).
Pathway 2
The following 4 units from the Certificate IV in Strata Community Management (CPP40521), and 1 independant unit from the property services training package as listed below:
- Identify and analyse risks in strata community management (CPPSCM4028),
- Apply knowledge of WHS laws in the workplace (BSBWHS307),
- Access and interpret legislation in strata community management (CPPSCM4009),
- Source and extract information from strata plans (CPPSCM3020),
and
- Work effectively in strata community management (CPPSCM3017) - from the property services training package.
Training must be provided by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) like TAFE NSW.
Existing qualifications from an RTO or university (prior learning) can count towards any new qualification. Ask your RTO if this applies to you.
Work experience
You must complete a range of work experience tasks to be able to progress to a class 2 property agent licence.
Use the Evidence of work experience logbook to keep track of the tasks as you complete them.
Work experience needed to become a class 2 agent
To be eligible for a Class 2 real estate agent licence, you must complete:
- a minimum of 9 tasks from Part 1 of the logbook, and
- a minimum of 5 tasks from Part 2.
You need to complete the listed activities under the supervision of a licensee in charge. They must verify your ability by signing each task in your logbook as they are achieved.
Once you have finished your work experience tasks, you must keep the logbook as evidence for your licence application if requested.
Contact us
Need help applying?
If you need help with your application or have a question, please call 13 32 20.
Unsuccessful applications
If your application is unsuccessful, you can ask for a review.
A review involves another officer from Fair Trading, who was not involved in the original decision, reviewing the decision on your application.
For more information about the process see reviews of Fair Trading decisions.