What are CEA's prescribed estate agency agreement Forms 1 to 8?

They are the standard agreements prescribed under the Estate Agents (Estate Agency Work) Regulations for residential property work. Forms 1 to 4 are the non-exclusive agreements for a sale, a purchase, a lease by a landlord and a lease by a tenant. Forms 5 to 8 are the exclusive versions of the same four situations.

How long can an exclusive estate agency agreement last?

A prescribed exclusive agreement ends on the date written or three calendar months after its Commencement Date, whichever is earlier. It can be renewed any number of times, but only on the same prescribed form and for up to three calendar months each time. For three calendar months after expiry the seller still owes commission on a sale to a buyer the agent introduced during the term (Form 5, clauses 3 and 6(b)).

Does CEA fix property agent commission rates?

No. Commission is subject to negotiation between the client and the estate agency, and should be agreed before work begins. The agreement also records whether the agency is GST-registered and whether the stated commission is inclusive or exclusive of GST — only a GST-registered business may charge GST. Commission is paid to the agency, not to the salesperson personally.

What happens if an agency does not use the applicable prescribed form?

Its right to claim against the client is affected under section 44 of the Estate Agents Act, so it may be unable to enforce its commission. The agency and salesperson nonetheless still owe the client all their duties under the Act, the Regulations and common law — including disclosing any conflict of interest.

If the client authorises co-broking, can the salesperson act for both sides?

No. Co-broking and dual representation are different things. Whether or not co-broking is authorised, a salesperson cannot represent both parties or collect commission from more than one party in the same transaction — and doing so in substance is a breach even if another salesperson is nominally placed on the other side.

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Paper 2 · Regulation of the Estate Agency Industry · 20 min read

CEA Forms 1–8 Explained: Estate Agency Agreements & Commission

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

Must-know for the exam

Sign the estate agency agreement before any work (PMLPFTF Regulations reg 4(1)(a)); it covers appointment and commission, while the OTP between seller and buyer covers the property.
CEA prescribes eight forms for residential property: Forms 1–4 are non-exclusive and Forms 5–8 exclusive, covering sale, purchase, lease by a landlord and lease by a tenant.
Under s 44, an agent can sue only under a properly executed prescribed-form agreement signed while licensed; not using the form is not itself an offence but can draw discipline.
An exclusive agreement ends on the date written or 3 calendar months after commencement, whichever is earlier, and is renewed only on the same form, up to 3 months each time.
During an exclusive the seller owes commission on any binding sale, even to a buyer he found; for 3 calendar months after expiry, on a sale to a buyer the agent introduced.
Commission is a matter of contract; only if the agreement is silent does the agent earn it as the effective cause of the deal (Goh Lay Khim [2017] SGCA 11).
Before taking an appointment, check for an ongoing exclusive agreement; do not solicit or accept a client you know is bound, or influence him to end it (PGC, 24 Mar 2023).
Agents must co-broke with all others unless the client instructs otherwise in writing, and must not contact the listing agent's client without the listing agent's consent (PGC).
No salesperson may take commission from more than one person in a deal; a salesperson in the seller's salesperson's team may not act for the buyer (PSM para 1.8.5).
For HDB property, if completion fails because the client was ineligible under HDB rules, no commission is owed; nor is any if completion fails without the seller's fault.

On this page · 11 sections

Before a salesperson markets a single listing, one document should already be signed: the estate agency agreement. It is the contract between the client and the estate agency that sets out the scope of work, the commission, the duration, and any conflict of interest. CEA prescribes the wording under the Estate Agents (Estate Agency Work) Regulations, and its Practice Guidelines on the Use of Prescribed Estate Agency Agreement Forms 1–8 (PG 1/2011) govern how the forms are filled in. This is dense, rule-heavy Paper 2 material — and exactly the kind the exam likes, because every detail is a testable fact.

Keep two documents apart from the start. The estate agency agreement is between the client and the agency — it is about appointment and commission. The Option to Purchase is between the seller and the buyer — it is about the property. Candidates lose marks by blurring them.

The eight prescribed forms

There are eight forms, covering four residential situations in two flavours. Forms 1–4 are the non-exclusive agreements; Forms 5–8 are the exclusive versions of the same four:

Situation (residential property)	Non-exclusive	Exclusive
Sale — you act for the seller	Form 1	Form 5
Purchase — you act for the buyer	Form 2	Form 6
Lease, by a landlord — you act for the landlord	Form 3	Form 7
Lease, by a tenant — you act for the tenant	Form 4	Form 8

CEA's prescribed estate agency agreements (Estate Agents (Estate Agency Work) Regulations). Note the numbering: non-exclusive first (1–4), exclusive second (5–8).

The forms cover residential property. Where no prescribed form applies to the work, none need be used — CEA's own example is a tenant appointing an agent to find a replacement tenant.
Where a prescribed form does apply and the agency does not use it, its right to claim against the client is affected under section 44 of the Estate Agents Act — in plain terms, the agency may be unable to enforce its commission.
The applicable form may be signed even where the client pays no commission (e.g. the agent is paid by the other side).
Not signing a form does not strip away the agent's duties — the obligations under the Act, the Regulations and common law (including disclosing a conflict of interest) still bind them.
When to sign: before any work. CEA's form guidelines leave the timing open ("before or at the same time as" the transaction), but another rule is firmer: reg 4(1)(a) of the Estate Agents (PMLPFTF) Regulations 2021 requires an agreement setting out the business relationship before carrying out any estate agency work for a client (from 1 Jul 2025, reg 7(2) lifts this for the rental of an HDB flat, or part of one, wholly for residential use). Answer "sign before work starts".
Which property counts as residential: for Forms 1–8, "residential property" includes mixed residential and non-residential property, such as a shophouse with a flat above (reg 10(4)).
Can't perform? Say so at once. An agent or salesperson unable for any reason to perform the agreement must inform the client immediately (reg 12).

Where section 44 does not reach

Regulation 11 of the Estate Agents (Estate Agency Work) Regulations 2010 switches off s 44 for estate agency work on: (a) property outside Singapore; (b) commercial or industrial property; (c) an actual or proposed collective (en bloc) sale under the Land Titles (Strata) Act; (d) a developer's sale of property it developed under a housing developer's licence; and (e) anything else for which no prescribed form exists, such as finding a replacement tenant. For these, the agency's commission claim rests on ordinary contract law, not on having used a prescribed form (SSO, current version at 1 Oct 2026).

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Which CEA prescribed forms are the exclusive ones, and which forms cover a landlord letting residential property?Show answer
Forms 5–8 are exclusive; Forms 1–4 are non-exclusive. A landlord letting residential property uses Form 3 (non-exclusive) or Form 7 (exclusive).
How long can a prescribed exclusive estate agency agreement run?Show answer
Until the date written or 3 calendar months after the Commencement Date, whichever is earlier. It may be renewed any number of times, but only on the same prescribed form and for up to 3 calendar months each time.
Under Form 5, when is commission still payable after the exclusive agreement has expired?Show answer
If the property is sold within 3 calendar months after the Expiry Date to a buyer the agent introduced during the Validity Period (cl 6(b)). A buyer the seller finds himself after expiry is not caught.
What is the consequence of an agency not using the applicable prescribed form?Show answer
Its right to claim against the client is affected under s 44 of the Estate Agents Act, so it may be unable to enforce its commission. Its duties, including disclosing any conflict of interest, still bind it.
How must Additional Terms be added to a prescribed estate agency agreement?Show answer
On a separate sheet of pink paper, in black ink, in a font no smaller than the prescribed terms. They must not conflict with, vary or limit the prescribed terms, and every amendment is initialled and dated.

Common questions

What are CEA's prescribed estate agency agreement Forms 1 to 8?: They are the standard agreements prescribed under the Estate Agents (Estate Agency Work) Regulations for residential property work. Forms 1 to 4 are the non-exclusive agreements for a sale, a purchase, a lease by a landlord and a lease by a tenant. Forms 5 to 8 are the exclusive versions of the same four situations.
How long can an exclusive estate agency agreement last?: A prescribed exclusive agreement ends on the date written or three calendar months after its Commencement Date, whichever is earlier. It can be renewed any number of times, but only on the same prescribed form and for up to three calendar months each time. For three calendar months after expiry the seller still owes commission on a sale to a buyer the agent introduced during the term (Form 5, clauses 3 and 6(b)).
Does CEA fix property agent commission rates?: No. Commission is subject to negotiation between the client and the estate agency, and should be agreed before work begins. The agreement also records whether the agency is GST-registered and whether the stated commission is inclusive or exclusive of GST — only a GST-registered business may charge GST. Commission is paid to the agency, not to the salesperson personally.
What happens if an agency does not use the applicable prescribed form?: Its right to claim against the client is affected under section 44 of the Estate Agents Act, so it may be unable to enforce its commission. The agency and salesperson nonetheless still owe the client all their duties under the Act, the Regulations and common law — including disclosing any conflict of interest.
If the client authorises co-broking, can the salesperson act for both sides?: No. Co-broking and dual representation are different things. Whether or not co-broking is authorised, a salesperson cannot represent both parties or collect commission from more than one party in the same transaction — and doing so in substance is a breach even if another salesperson is nominally placed on the other side.

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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).