Estate Agents Act & CEA: RES exam practice questions

The Estate Agents Act 2010 came into force, and the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) was set up, on __________.

1. A22 October 2010
2. B1 January 2011
3. C30 July 2021
4. D1 January 2010

Under the Estate Agents Act, CEA __________.

1. Alicenses estate agents and registers salespersons
2. Bregisters estate agents and licenses salespersons
3. Clicenses both estate agents and salespersons
4. Dregisters both estate agents and salespersons

Besides the minimum education requirement, a KEO must generally have passed the __________.

1. AReal Estate Agency (REA) examination
2. BReal Estate Salesperson (RES) examination only
3. CRefresher Examination under the Currency Requirement
4. Dvaluers’ examination of the Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers

The minimum educational qualification for registration as a salesperson is __________.

1. Afour GCE ‘O’ Level passes, or an equivalent such as the WPLN assessment
2. Ba GCE ‘A’ Level certificate or a polytechnic diploma
3. Cfive GCE ‘O’ Level passes, including English and Mathematics
4. Da degree or diploma in real estate or a related field

Which of the following is estate agency work under the Estate Agents Act?

1. AConducting viewings of a condominium unit for prospective tenants, on behalf of the landlord, for a fee
2. BAn owner advertising his own HDB flat for sale on a property portal
3. CAn executor selling a house that forms part of a deceased person’s estate
4. DA valuer inspecting a shophouse and preparing a valuation report on it for a bank that is granting a loan

A person who carries on business as an estate agent without a licence is liable on conviction to a fine of up to __________, imprisonment of up to 3 years, or both.

1. A$75,000
2. B$25,000
3. C$10,000
4. D$50,000

Mr Lim Boon Huat, 67, is a retired civil servant who has never been licensed or registered with CEA, although his son-in-law is a salesperson with a large agency. In January 2026 his neighbour, Mdm Rosnah binte Ali, told him she wanted to sell her three-bedroom condominium unit in Tampines before moving in with her daughter in Johor Bahru, and promised him 1% of the price as a ‘thank you’ if he found a buyer. Mr Lim put up notices at his church, brought a former colleague of his to view the unit twice, and helped Mdm Rosnah and the colleague agree on a price of $1.28 million. After completion, Mdm Rosnah refused to pay. His son-in-law assures him that a verbal promise is still a contract and that he can sue for the $12,800.

Which of the following BEST describes Mr Lim’s legal position?

1. AMr Lim did estate agency work in expectation of a fee without holding a licence, so he committed an offence and cannot recover the $12,800 in any legal action
2. BMr Lim did not do estate agency work at all, as he helped only one neighbour, is not in the property business and acted mainly out of goodwill towards her
3. CMr Lim committed an offence by acting without a licence, but he may still sue for the $12,800, as the promise was made to him well before the sale took place
4. DMr Lim committed no offence, as only Mdm Rosnah, who engaged him and benefited from the sale, is liable under the Act for using an unlicensed person

Mr Ramasamy, a 45-year-old engineer, has decided to buy a two-bedroom unit in a private condominium in Bukit Batok for $1.18 million after three viewings. His salesperson, Ken Ho, has arranged for the Option to Purchase to be signed at the seller’s salesperson’s office on Friday, 16 October 2026. Mr Ramasamy hands Ken a crossed account-payee cheque for the option fee, made out to the seller, and asks Ken to deliver it at the signing, as he himself must fly to Jakarta that morning for work. Mr Ramasamy’s wife, who is a co-buyer, suggests that it would be simpler to give Ken the option fee in cash instead. Ken’s mentor reminds him about regulation 7 and the monies he may and may not receive.

Which of the following statements is NOT correct?

1. AKen may deliver the buyer’s crossed account-payee cheque for the option fee, since it is drawn in favour of the seller, who is the other party to the sale
2. BKen must not accept the option fee in cash from Mr Ramasamy to pass to the seller, even if the seller authorises him in writing to receive it
3. CKen may accept the option fee as a cheque made out to his estate agent, provided he hands it over to the seller’s salesperson at the signing
4. DKen may receive the commission payable to his estate agent, as commission is not among the transaction monies that regulation 7 forbids him to handle

Chua Hui Min, 38, has been a registered salesperson with a mid-sized agency since 2022 and closed five HDB resale transactions in 2026, well ahead of what she will need under the Currency Requirement. She is also planning to sit the REA examination next year so that she can one day become a KEO. By 31 December 2026, however, she has completed only 10 hours of CPD training in the 2026 cycle, all of it Structured Learning with CEA-approved course providers, including the 4 hours of Prescribed Essentials. She has done no Self-directed Learning. Her agency has just appointed a new KEO, and a colleague tells her not to worry, as the new framework is ‘flexible’ in its first year.

Which of the following BEST describes Hui Min’s position?

1. AShe has not met the 2026 CPD requirement, falling short on both Structured and Self-directed Learning, so she does not qualify for renewal
2. BShe may renew her registration and make up the missing 6 hours during the 2027 cycle, as her shortfall is less than half of the total she needed
3. CShe has met the requirement, as Structured Learning hours above the Prescribed Essentials also count towards the Self-directed Learning component
4. DShe may renew her registration, provided her KEO undertakes to supervise her more closely and approves a plan to clear the shortfall in 2027

Last year, salesperson Faizal Ismail acted for Mr Ong Chee Keong, a 52-year-old Singapore Permanent Resident, in buying a two-bedroom condominium unit in Novena for $1.6 million; the seller was represented by another agency. Mr Ong has since been posted to Hong Kong for two years and wants to lease out the unit furnished, hoping for about $4,800 a month. He asks Faizal to find him a tenant. Faizal already has in mind an expatriate couple whose employer, a bank, pays their rent directly. The couple have told Faizal that they would like him to look after their side of the lease as well, since they are new to Singapore, and they are prepared to sign anything he needs.

Which of the following statements is NOT correct?

1. AFaizal may act for Mr Ong in leasing out the unit, as acting for the same client in two separate transactions is not dual representation
2. BFaizal must not also act for the prospective tenant, as the ban on dual representation applies to leases as well as to sales of property
3. CFaizal would still breach the ban if he acted for both Mr Ong and the tenant, even if both of them gave written consent to his doing so
4. DFaizal must decline to act for Mr Ong in the lease, as having acted in the purchase he would be representing both sides of dealings in the same unit