How many CPD hours does a property agent need in Singapore?

At least 16 training hours in each calendar year from 2026: 4 hours of Prescribed Essentials and 8 hours of Professional Competencies, both from CEA-accredited courses, plus 4 hours of Self-directed Learning approved by the salesperson's KEO. Hours in one category cannot make up a shortfall in another. A newly registered salesperson is exempt in the first cycle. Source: Estate Agents (Estate Agency Work) Regulations 2010, reg 15; CEA CPD framework page, updated 3 Jun 2026.

What is CEA's Currency Requirement?

From 1 Jan 2027, when registrations move to a three-year cycle, a salesperson must complete at least three property transactions in each three-year period, or pass a Refresher Examination, to renew. HDB, private residential, commercial and industrial sales and rentals, foreign property sales and en bloc transactions count. New salespersons need no transaction in their first year but at least two in the remaining two. It does not replace CPD, which stays at 16 hours a year. Source: CEA media release, 28 Jul 2026, and CEA FAQ, 26 Aug 2026.

Who must hold professional indemnity insurance, the agency or the salesperson?

The estate agency. Regulation 13 makes every estate agent hold PII against civil liability for negligence, with minimum cover from $100,000 for a sole proprietor with no salespersons to $1,000,000 for an agency with more than 500 representatives. Salespersons are covered under the agency's policy, but regulation 14 bars anyone, salesperson included, from doing estate agency work without that cover in place.

What happens if my registration lapses?

If it has lapsed for up to two years, you must complete 16 CPD hours for each cycle you missed before you can register again. If it has lapsed for more than two years, you must take the RES course and pass the RES examination again. Source: CEA CPD framework page, updated 3 Jun 2026; CEA, Apply for salesperson registration, updated 5 Mar 2026.

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Paper 2 · Regulation of the Estate Agency Industry · 7 min read

CPD & Professional Indemnity Insurance for RES

Practise this section (217 questions) → · 3.1 Regulation of real estate agency industry, in sets of about 30

Must-know for the exam

CEA may refuse to renew a registration if the CPD requirement is not met (Estate Agents Act s 32A); the Regulations call it CPE, CEA calls it CPD.
From 1 Jan 2026 CPD is 16 hours per calendar year: 4 Prescribed Essentials and 8 Professional Competencies (CEA-accredited), plus 4 Self-directed Learning approved by the KEO.
Hours in one CPD category cannot make up another; the 2026 Prescribed Essentials topic is prevention of money laundering, proliferation financing and terrorism financing.
A transitional 15-month period, 1 Oct 2024 to 31 Dec 2025, replaced the old Oct–Sep credit cycle; a new salesperson is exempt in the first cycle only.
A registration lapsed up to two years needs 16 CPD hours per missed cycle before re-registering; lapsed over two years means taking the RES course and passing the exam again.
From 1 Jan 2027 registrations run three years (first cycle to 31 Dec 2029), announced 28 Jul 2026 and examinable from the 31 Oct 2026 sitting on.
The Currency Requirement: at least three transactions per three-year cycle or a pass in the Refresher Examination; new salespersons need none in year one and two thereafter.
Reg 13: every estate agent must hold PII against civil liability for negligence, from $100,000 (sole proprietor, no salespersons) to $1,000,000 (over 500 representatives).
PII bands: $200,000 for 2–10 representatives, $300,000 for 11–30, $400,000 for 31–50, $600,000 for 51–500; per-person limits may not go below $100,000.
The deductible on a claim against a salesperson may not exceed $5,000; reg 14 bars anyone from doing estate agency work without the required cover.

On this page · 5 sections

Passing the RES exam gets you registered once. Staying registered turns on three rules the exam likes to test with figures: the CPD hours you must clock every year, the Currency Requirement that arrives with the three-year registration cycle on 1 Jan 2027, and the professional indemnity insurance (PII) your agency must carry before anyone in it may do estate agency work. All three changed recently or carry exact numbers, so they are fertile ground for stale-rule distractors.

CPD: 16 training hours every calendar year

The Act lets CEA refuse to renew a registration where the continuing-education requirement is not met (Estate Agents Act 2010, s 32A). The requirement itself is in regulation 15 of the Estate Agents (Estate Agency Work) Regulations 2010: at least 16 training hours in each calendar year from 2026 (amended by S 644/2025). The Regulations call it CPE (continuing professional education); CEA's website and the exam say CPD. Same thing.

Component	Minimum hours	How the hours count
Prescribed Essentials (PE), part of Structured Learning	4	CEA-accredited courses on the topic CEA sets each year. For 2026 it is prevention of money laundering, proliferation financing and terrorism financing (PMLPFTF)
Professional Competencies (PC), part of Structured Learning	8	CEA-accredited courses: laws and regulations, property markets, other real estate knowledge
Self-directed Learning (SDL), also called Generic Competencies Plus	4	Courses whose attendance the salesperson's KEO approves, such as SkillsFuture's Critical Core Skills
Total	16	Per cycle, 1 Jan – 31 Dec, aligned with the registration validity period

CEA's 2026 CPD framework, in force from 1 Jan 2026 (CEA, CPD framework page, updated 3 Jun 2026). The same 16 hours apply to salespersons, KEOs and practising directors or partners.

No substitution between categories. Twelve PC hours and no PE hours fail the requirement, even though the total looks right (CEA CPD framework page).
The KEO signs off the SDL hours. For a course that is not CEA-accredited, the estate agent must verify and certify in writing to CEA that the person completed it, with the date, attendance and hours (reg 15(3)).
First-cycle exemption. A newly registered salesperson is exempt in the first CPD cycle and must comply from the second onwards.
How the cycle moved. The old credit system ran on 12-month periods ending 30 September. A transitional 15-month period from 1 Oct 2024 to 31 Dec 2025 bridged it to calendar years (reg 15(1A)). An answer that quotes 6 CPD credits on an Oct–Sep cycle is quoting the retired rule.

Missing the hours, or letting the registration lapse

Situation	What follows
Hours not met by 31 Dec	CEA may refuse to renew the registration; no renewal means no estate agency work
Registration lapsed for up to two years	Before re-registering, complete 16 hours for each cycle missed, as if still registered
Registration lapsed for more than two years	Take the RES course and pass the RES examination again before applying to register (CEA, Apply for salesperson registration, updated 5 Mar 2026)

Consequences of a CPD shortfall or a lapse (CEA CPD framework page, updated 3 Jun 2026; Estate Agents Act 2010, s 32A).

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How are the 16 annual CPD hours split across categories?Show answer
4 Prescribed Essentials, 8 Professional Competencies and 4 Self-directed Learning hours each calendar year from 2026. Hours in one category cannot fill another; the 2026 PE topic is PMLPFTF.
What does the Currency Requirement ask for from 1 Jan 2027?Show answer
At least three property transactions in the three-year registration period, or a pass in the Refresher Examination, to renew. New salespersons need none in year one and at least two in the remaining two years.
What minimum PII cover does an agency with 50 representatives need, and what changes at 51?Show answer
$400,000 for 31 to 50 representatives, with an agency deductible of up to $5,000. At 51 to 500 it rises to $600,000, and the agency deductible may be up to $10,000.
What must a salesperson do to return after a registration lapse of up to two years, and of more?Show answer
Up to two years: complete 16 CPD hours for each cycle missed before re-registering. More than two years: take the RES course and pass the RES examination again.
Who must hold PII, and what is the maximum deductible on a claim against a salesperson?Show answer
The estate agency (reg 13); reg 14 bars anyone from estate agency work without that cover. The deductible on a claim against a salesperson may not exceed $5,000, whatever the agency's size.

Common questions

How many CPD hours does a property agent need in Singapore?: At least 16 training hours in each calendar year from 2026: 4 hours of Prescribed Essentials and 8 hours of Professional Competencies, both from CEA-accredited courses, plus 4 hours of Self-directed Learning approved by the salesperson's KEO. Hours in one category cannot make up a shortfall in another. A newly registered salesperson is exempt in the first cycle. Source: Estate Agents (Estate Agency Work) Regulations 2010, reg 15; CEA CPD framework page, updated 3 Jun 2026.
What is CEA's Currency Requirement?: From 1 Jan 2027, when registrations move to a three-year cycle, a salesperson must complete at least three property transactions in each three-year period, or pass a Refresher Examination, to renew. HDB, private residential, commercial and industrial sales and rentals, foreign property sales and en bloc transactions count. New salespersons need no transaction in their first year but at least two in the remaining two. It does not replace CPD, which stays at 16 hours a year. Source: CEA media release, 28 Jul 2026, and CEA FAQ, 26 Aug 2026.
Who must hold professional indemnity insurance, the agency or the salesperson?: The estate agency. Regulation 13 makes every estate agent hold PII against civil liability for negligence, with minimum cover from $100,000 for a sole proprietor with no salespersons to $1,000,000 for an agency with more than 500 representatives. Salespersons are covered under the agency's policy, but regulation 14 bars anyone, salesperson included, from doing estate agency work without that cover in place.
What happens if my registration lapses?: If it has lapsed for up to two years, you must complete 16 CPD hours for each cycle you missed before you can register again. If it has lapsed for more than two years, you must take the RES course and pass the RES examination again. Source: CEA CPD framework page, updated 3 Jun 2026; CEA, Apply for salesperson registration, updated 5 Mar 2026.

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Study material aligned to the public CEA syllabus. Not financial or legal advice — verify current figures with the relevant authority (IRAS, HDB, CEA, MAS).