Paper 2 · Real Estate Marketing & Advertising Rules · 9 min read
CEA Ethical Advertising Guidelines: What Every Property Ad Must Show
Must-know for the exam
- CEA's Practice Guidelines on Ethical Advertising (PG 2/2011, from 1 Aug 2011) apply to every medium, including portals, SMS, email and social media.
- Flyers, banners and online ads carry all five particulars: salesperson's registered name, registration number and CEA-registered contact number, plus the agency's name and licence number.
- Only newspaper classifieds and SMS may omit the licence and registration numbers; they still use the CEA-registered name and contact number.
- A social-media account used for agency work shows both numbers in its profile; email ads carry the numbers, an “<ADV>” subject label and an unsubscribe option.
- No SMS advertising or cold calls between 10.00 pm and 9.00 am; stop at once when a recipient objects, and give SMS recipients a text-back unsubscribe number.
- Get the prior consent of every owner, in writing or another verifiable mode; each advertising salesperson needs it, so copied ads are banned.
- Never use “no co-broke”, “already co-broke”, “no agents” or “buyer only”; no dummy ads, dubious titles, race or religion preferences (EIP excepted) or unapproved uses.
- Photos show the actual unit and its own view; quoted returns need a basis, credible source, defined terms and the data period; guarantees disclose all terms upfront.
- State the expected price or range, or “view to offer” or “price negotiable” on instruction; never a COV-only price, and update listings as soon as practicable.
- The estate agent must vet every ad before publication, with KEOs approving each one or running a structured approval process.
On this page · 7 sections
Paragraph 12 of the Code sets the advertising duties in eight lines. CEA's Practice Guidelines on Ethical Advertising (PGEA, PG 2/2011), in force from 1 Aug 2011 and now at version 2.0 (10 Dec 2020), turn them into medium-by-medium rules. A breach of the guidelines can lead to disciplinary action, because Code para 4(2)(a) requires you to comply with CEA's guidelines. Exam questions test the detail: which medium may drop the numbers, who must give consent, and which phrases may never appear.
The particulars each medium must show
The full set is five particulars: your name as it appears in CEA's Public Register, your registration number, your CEA-registered contact number, the estate agent's name and its licence number. The numbers are labelled “Estate Agent Licence Number” and “Salesperson Registration Number”, or “CEA Licence Number” and “CEA Registration Number” (PGEA para 2.1).
| Medium | What it must carry | Extra rule |
|---|---|---|
| Flyers, pamphlets, banners | All five particulars | Flyers and pamphlets also show their date of issue |
| Portals, agency websites, other online ads | All five particulars | You must be able to affirm the ad is not copied and its photos are actual |
| Social-networking account used for agency work |
From the rest of this lesson
Exam takeaway · remember this
Five particulars everywhere except classifieds and SMS. Consent from every owner, for every salesperson. No anti-co-broke phrases, no dummy ads, no SMS 10 pm–9 am.
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Common questions
- Does an SMS property advertisement need the CEA registration number?
- No. Under CEA's Practice Guidelines on Ethical Advertising, an SMS advertisement, like a newspaper classified, may leave out the licence and registration numbers but must use the salesperson's CEA-registered name and contact number. It must also give a number the recipient can text to unsubscribe, and SMS advertising is barred between 10.00 pm and 9.00 am.
- Can I write “no co-broke” in a property listing?
- No. CEA's guidelines bar phrases such as “no co-broke”, “already co-broke”, “no agents” and “buyer only” in any advertisement, because they are not in the owner's best interest. At signing, the salesperson must explain to the seller or landlord that marketing on such a basis works against them.
- Who must vet a salesperson's property advertisement?
- The estate agent. CEA requires agencies to vet all their salespersons' publicity and advertising before publication, with key executive officers approving each ad or running a structured approval process. This applies to internet and social-media advertising as well.
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