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Real estate salesperson

Note: If you work for a real estate agency as a contractor or sub-contractor, you must have a full real estate agent licence, not just a registration certificate. See real estate agent licence.

This registration certificate allows you to do any of the following activities that your real estate agent employer is allowed to do:

buy, sell, exchange or let places of residence, business or land, or interests in them
collect rent
negotiate for the buying, selling, exchanging or letting of residences
transact or negotiate property sale or rental
show property
inspect or appraise property for sale or rent
advertise, place a sign or conduct an open for inspection on a property for sale or rent
buy, sell or exchange livestock or an interest in livestock.

You cannot:

operate trust accounts
be the person in charge at a place of business.

Employment authority

To be registered, you must hold an employment authority that lists duties that you are allowed to do for the real estate agency, such as showing property to potential renters and opening up property for inspection for renters.

There is no special format for an employment authority but it must contain:

your name
start and end employment dates
a list of restricted activities you can do in your day-to-day work.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a real estate salesperson certificate, you must:

be 18 years or over
be a suitable person
have at least one place of business in Queensland
have completed the required training units through a registered training organisation.

An individual is considered suitable if they have not been:

convicted in the previous five years of a serious offence which is punishable by 3 or more years imprisonment, such as:
- fraud and dishonesty
- drug trafficking
- extortion
- arson
- unlawful stalking
- violence or the threat of using violence
- any offence of a sexual nature
disqualified from holding a licence or registration certificate
recorded in the register of disqualified company directors under the Corporations Act 2001.

If you are not an Australian citizen, you need to provide an international passport to complete the check on your working visa. Your visa must state that you can work in Australia. You must also provide written advice from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to explain any conditions on your visa.

If you are affected by bankruptcy action, you must also supply a:

description of the circumstances that caused you to go into bankruptcy (if you were involved in a business, please advise the type of business) and a description of the steps taken by you to avoid going into bankruptcy
list of creditors and amounts owing to each creditor
confirmation of whether any charges were laid against you in regard to the bankruptcy
letter from your employer, on the employer’s letterhead, outlining your role within the business and whether you would be in a position to influence the management of the licensee’s business.

Training requirements

Note: If you have held a real estate salesperson certificate within two years of applying for the certificate, you do not need to complete the training requirements.

To qualify for this licence you must complete these subjects from the industry-recognised Property Development and Management Training Package:

PFDRE13A Obtain property listings
PRDRE15A Undertake property sale by private treaty
PRDRE18A Lease property
PRDRE39A Prepare and execute documentation.

Alternatively, you can complete these units from the Property Services Training Package (CPP07) endorsed by the National Quality Council:

CPPDSM4008A Identify legal and ethical requirements of property sales to complete agency work
CPPDSM4009A Interpret legislation to complete agency work
CPPDSM4010A Lease property
CPPDSM4012A List property for sale
CPPDSM4015A Minimise agency and consumer risk
CPPDSM4022A Sell and finalise the sale of property by private treaty
CPPDSM4080A Work in the real estate industry.

Registered training organisations

For information on courses and training providers in Queensland, contact the National Training Information Service.

Applying for a certificate

To apply for a real estate salesperson registration certificate:

meet the eligibility criteria
complete the training requirements and attach proof of qualifications
complete PAMD Form 3 - Application for registration certificate (PDF, 555 KB)
provide originals or certified copies of your birth certificate, birth extract, passport, Australian citizenship certificate or drivers licence (see below for advice on getting certified copies)
provide certified, passport-quality photos of yourself
pay the licence fee of $250 for one year or $420 for three years
pay the criminal history check fee of $35.50
lodge the application (see the application form for lodgement details).

Criminal history checks

Applicants must undergo a criminal history check to confirm their suitability.

The criminal history check costs $35.50 (which includes $1.13 GST) for each person who appears on the application form. The fee applies to all applications and renewal notices.

Processing time

Processing time is 4-6 weeks. However, it can take longer if we need to contact you for missing information or fees.

The processing time may be up to six weeks because the criminal history check process, handled by Queensland Police, is thorough and time consuming.

Making the process quicker

Send certified documents

Take the original document and a copy to a Justice of the Peace, Commissioner for Declarations, solicitor, barrister or a Notary Public. They will stamp and/or sign the copy and write ‘This is a true copy of the original document’.

The Department of Justice and Attorney-General has a list of JPs in your area. Otherwise, contact your local post office, courthouse, bank, shopping centre manager or pharmacy.

We will send your original documents to you after we assess your application. Please note that a photocopy is not a certified document.

Pay all criminal history check fees

Remember to pay a separate fee for yourself and each person on the application form.

Refunds for unsuccessful applications

If your application is unsuccessful or it is withdrawn, you will receive a partial refund. Your application fee is non-refundable, but we will refund your licence fee and any unused criminal history check fees.