Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements for property professionals

Your CPD requirements – key information

• To meet your CPD requirements, you must complete all compulsory topics relevant to:
  • each licence category you hold and 
  • the areas of practice in which you operate.
• Licence category refers to the broad licence type – Real Estate, Stock and Station Agent or Strata Managing Agent.
  • Holding multiple current licence categories requires you to maintain knowledge and skill across all categories, regardless of whether you are actively operating under each one.
• Area of practice refers to the type of work you perform.
  • Strata Managing Agent and Stock and Station Agent licence categories each have a single area of practice.
  • Within the Real Estate licence category, there are multiple areas of practice:
    • Residential real estate salesperson
    • Residential property manager
    • Buyers agent
    • Commercial real estate agent
    • Business broker
    • Onsite (Short-term) residential property manager 
• If you hold a Real Estate licence and operate in one area of practice only, you are required to complete mandatory CPD modules for that area only.  You are not required to complete mandatory CPD modules for any area of practice authorised by your real estate licence in which you do not work.
• If you operate across multiple areas of practice, you must complete mandatory CPD topics for all areas of practice in which you work. Your total CPD hours will depend on your combination of licence categories and areas of practice.
• Where mandatory topics are shared across areas of practice, agents will not be required to repeat the same topic provided all required learning outcomes are met for each area of practice.  
• You may need to complete more than the minimum CPD hours for one area of practice to meet all required learning outcomes.
• Class 1 licence holders have additional CPD obligations.  Further information can be found here: Additional requirement for Class 1 agents.
• Failure to comply with your CPD requirements may result in the suspension or cancellation of your licence or certificate.  It may also result in a court penalty of up to $11,000 being imposed on you.

Compulsory topics

Compulsory topics must be delivered by a training provider approved by the Strata and Property Services Commissioner. The list of approved providers is available below and more providers can seek to be approved throughout the CPD year.

Compulsory topics must:

• be delivered in an interactive training environment, which can be:
  • face-to-face (maximum 40 attendees), or
  • an interactive webinar (maximum 25 attendees)
• include an assessment activity.

See all compulsory topics listed below by type of licence held and area of practice. 

Strata licence category holders

Agents who hold a strata category of licence must complete a minimum of: 

• 6 hours of interactive training delivered by an approved provider covering 3 compulsory CPD topics: 
  • Regulatory change in strata 
  • Repairs and maintenance 
  • Roles, authority and risk 

Stock and station licence category holders

Agents who hold a stock and station category of licence must complete a minimum of: 

• 7 hours of interactive training delivered by an approved provider covering 4 compulsory CPD topics: 
  • Auction laws and practice 
  • Contracts 
  • Safety risk management 
  • Supervision Guidelines and AML CTF in agency practice 

Carry-over of CPD from past years

The CPD arrangements do not provide for the carry-over of CPD from one year to the next for most licences, except assistant agents.

As assistant agents must complete units from their related Certificate IV qualification, additional units completed during the CPD year can be carried forward.

Records you need to keep

It is a licence or certificate holder’s responsibility to ensure you meet your mandatory CPD requirements every year.

• Licence and certificate holders must keep their own records of any compulsory topics completed and provide them to NSW Fair Trading if requested.
• Certificate of registration holders must keep the statement of attainment issued by a registered training organisation for each unit completed from the relevant Certificate IV for their area of practice and provide them to NSW Fair Trading if requested.

Length of time you must keep records

Licence holders (class 1 and class 2) must keep all records for 3 years.

Certificate of registration holders must keep all records for 4 years.

Exemptions

Fair Trading may, by written notice, exempt a licence or certificate holder from the CPD requirements.

For a licence or certificate of registration commencing within 90 days of the expiry of the CPD period.

Licence or certificate of registration holders are exempt from completing CPD if their licence or certificate of registration commenced less than 90 days before the end of the CPD year and they:

• applied for and received a licence or certificate of registration, or
• restored or reactivated a licence or certificate of registration that has been expired since the commencement of the allocated CPD period.
• If your licence or certificate of registration commenced on or after 1 April 2027, you are automatically exempt from CPD for the 2026/27 CPD year.
• While this exemption applies, it does not prevent you from undertaking CPD mandatory topics and you are responsible to ensure your knowledge and skills are up to date for any work you are undertaking..

Note: This exemption does not apply to a licence or certificate of registration that has recommenced following a period of suspension or cancellation where a condition has been applied under the Act requiring the holder to complete specified CPD.

For a certificate of registration commencing within 3 to 9 months of the expiry of the CPD period

Certificate of registration holders are required to complete a minimum of 1 unit of competency from that year if they have:

• applied for and received a certificate of registration, or
• restored or reactivated a licence or certificate of registration that has been expired since the commencement of the allocated CPD period.

The unit must be from a valid Certificate IV qualification that is required for the issue of a Class 2 Agent licence.