Checking a Property Agent on the CEA Public Register Before You Sell in Singapore

Key takeaways

• Every property agent must be registered with CEA through a licensed property agency, and CEA states it is an offence to carry out estate agency work without valid registration.
• Search the register using the phone number the person is using, not only the name or registration number they give you.
• If the phone number does not lead to an agent’s profile page, CEA says the number is not registered and the approach is likely a scam.
• Agent profiles show recent residential transactions and awards, and the register also shows enforcement actions on a rolling three-year basis.
• The register is a starting check. It does not replace your own questions on pricing, marketing and the estate agency agreement.

Background

The Council for Estate Agencies regulates the real estate agency industry in Singapore. CEA describes estate agency work as introducing a buyer, seller or landlord to another party, or negotiating a property transaction on a client’s behalf. Anyone doing that work must be a registered property agent working through a licensed property agency.

CEA maintains an online Public Register of property agencies and property agents. CEA’s 10 June 2026 note on its enhanced website explains that the register gives consumers the licensing and registration details of any property agency and agent, and now also shows enforcement actions. CEA’s Executive Director is quoted in that note as saying consumers should check an agent’s record before engaging their services.

This article sets out that official guidance as a practical sequence for a seller. It does not assess any individual agent or agency.

Latest guidance

CEA’s page “Check if your property agent is registered” was last updated on 4 September 2026. CEA’s note on the enhanced Public Register is dated 10 June 2026; it states that enforcement actions from 2023 to 2025 were added and that the register will show the past three years on a rolling basis. CEA’s complaint page was last updated on 29 September 2026 and its dispute resolution page on 28 August 2026. All pages were checked on 14 November 2026.

CEA’s pages describe the period of transaction records in slightly different terms, so read the period shown on the register itself when you search.

Who is affected

This guide is for owners who are about to appoint a property agent to sell a condominium, apartment or landed home, and for owners who have been approached by someone offering to market their property. It is most useful before you sign an estate agency agreement or share personal documents.

The same register check applies to HDB sellers, buyers and landlords. For the wider selling process for private homes, see the private-property selling page.

Who is not affected

Owners who sell without an agent do not need to check an agent of their own, although the other party may still be represented. The guide on dealing without an agent covers that route.

Property management services after a tenancy starts fall outside CEA’s regulatory purview, according to CEA. This article does not give legal advice on any agreement or dispute.

What remains unchanged

• Registration confirms that a person may carry out estate agency work. It is not a rating of their advice or results.
• You still need to agree the terms of the estate agency agreement with the agency before the agent starts work.
• Pricing, conveyancing, loan and tax matters remain with you, your lawyer, your bank and the relevant authorities.
• No sale price, timeline or outcome is guaranteed by appointing any agent.

Planning considerations

1. Search by the phone number in use

CEA’s step-by-step guidance is to key in the phone number of the person you are dealing with, or the number advertised. If the search does not lead to a property agent’s profile page, the number is not registered with CEA. CEA warns that this is likely a scam even when the agent’s name and registration number can be found on the register, because a real agent’s details can be borrowed.

2. Match the name, number and agency

Check that the name, CEA registration number and agency on the profile match what the person told you and what appears in their advertisements. CEA requires property advertisements to show the agent’s name, CEA registration number and phone number, and the agency’s name and CEA licence number; newspaper classifieds and phone text ads may show only the agent’s name and phone number. A gov.sg explainer also warns that some scammers use fake agency cards to appear more credible, so a card alone is not proof.

3. Review the transaction records

The profile page lists the residential transactions the agent has completed over a recent period and which party they represented. For a seller, this can show whether the agent has recent experience with your type of property. Treat it as one input, together with the questions in the guide to choosing a property agent.

4. Check enforcement actions

CEA’s register now shows enforcement actions such as Letters of Censure, Disciplinary Committee action and court prosecution, on a rolling three-year basis. Actions are attributed to the agency the agent was registered with when the breach was committed. CEA also publishes key enforcement statistics for each agency, alongside the number of agents registered with it.

5. Expect identity checks on you

CEA explains that agents must carry out due diligence checks on their clients and may check your original NRIC and make copies. The Singpass digital NRIC may be used in place of the physical card. If you do not provide the required information, the agent cannot proceed with the transaction. Checking the agent first means you share these documents with someone you have verified.

6. Know where to go if something is wrong

If you believe you may have been a victim of a scam, the gov.sg explainer advises filing a police report, and you can call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799 if you are unsure. For concerns about a registered agent’s conduct, CEA encourages you to approach the property agency first. If that does not resolve a dispute arising from the terms of a signed estate agency agreement, CEA’s Dispute Resolution Scheme offers mediation and arbitration. CEA also accepts complaints about agents’ conduct and about suspected unlicensed estate agency work, and states that it cannot grant complainants anonymity.

7. Put the check into your sale plan

Do the register check before any detailed discussion, then move on to pricing evidence, marketing and the agreement itself. The pre-OTP seller checklist covers the other items to prepare. If you would like to talk through a sale, the private-property selling page explains how Melvin supports the process, and his registration can be checked on the same register.

FAQ

This article provides general educational information. It does not assess any individual agent or agency. Check the CEA Public Register yourself before engaging an agent, and seek legal advice on any agreement or dispute.