Is Your Agent's Licence Current? What Queensland's Mandatory CPD Rules Mean for Vendors

From 6 June 2025, every real estate agent and property manager in Queensland has been required to complete Continuing Professional Development training as a condition of holding an active licence. It is the first time in Queensland history that this obligation has existed. The first wave of agents completed their CPD year requirements in mid-2025; most others are currently in their initial compliance period, working toward sessions that must be completed before their individual licence anniversary date.

For property vendors — the people hiring these agents to sell what is typically their largest financial asset — the introduction of mandatory CPD raises a question that has not been widely discussed: how do you know whether your agent is compliant, and does it matter if they are not?

What the New CPD Requirements Actually Require

The Queensland Office of Fair Trading (OFT) framework requires licence holders to complete two approved CPD sessions per CPD year. Each session runs approximately two to three hours. The sessions are categorised as Type 1 (covering core technical competencies from the nationally accredited Property Services Training Package — trust account management, property law, contract obligations, legislative compliance) and Type 2 (covering communication, ethics, dispute resolution, and professional conduct).

A compliant agent must complete either one Type 1 session and one Type 2 session, or two Type 1 sessions. Completing two Type 2 sessions does not satisfy the requirement — a distinction that is easily missed and represents one of the more common compliance errors.

The CPD year runs from the anniversary of each individual licence issue date, not from a common calendar date. An agent whose licence was issued on 15 September 2020 has a CPD year running from 15 September each year. An agent issued a licence on 3 March 2025 has a CPD year beginning 3 March 2026. The requirement kicked in at the point of each agent's first CPD anniversary on or after 6 June 2025, meaning the compliance calendar is staggered across the industry.

The Self-Declaration Problem

Here is where the framework creates a gap that vendors should understand. At the point of licence renewal, agents are not required to submit evidence of CPD completion. They are required to make a declaration — a tick-box attestation on the renewal form — stating that they have completed the required sessions. The OFT maintains the right to audit compliance, and agents are required to retain proof of completion for five years and produce it on request. A false declaration is a serious matter that can result in licence cancellation and further compliance action.

But the practical consequence for a vendor hiring an agent in the interim between declaration and any audit is that there is no publicly visible compliance indicator. The OFT licence register — which is publicly searchable — shows whether a licence is active or inactive, but does not display CPD compliance status. A vendor cannot go to a website and confirm, with certainty, that their agent completed their Type 1 and Type 2 sessions in the required period.

What a vendor can do is ask, directly, and request evidence. Agents who have completed their sessions will have certificates or confirmation records from the registered training organisation that delivered their CPD. An agent who cannot produce this documentation when asked is either non-compliant or unable to locate their records — neither of which is a reassuring answer from someone you are about to authorise to negotiate the sale of your home.

Why This Is Not a Trivial Question

The purpose of CPD in any licensed profession is not purely bureaucratic. The content mandated under Queensland's Type 1 framework — trust account obligations, legislative compliance, contract law, and disclosure requirements — reflects precisely the areas where agent error or knowledge gaps cause real financial harm to clients.

The August 2025 introduction of the seller disclosure regime in Queensland, the first year of mandatory CPD requirements, and an active market in which vendor advocacy is under commercial pressure all coincide. An agent who completed their initial qualification several years ago and has not kept pace with legislative changes — including the new seller disclosure framework, updated Form 6 appointment requirements, or the CPD programme itself — is operating with a knowledge base that may not reflect current law.

The REIQ has encouraged member agents to treat CPD not as a compliance hurdle but as a professional baseline. The distinction matters to vendors. Real estate transactions are complex, and a market in which agents are legally required to stay current with training is a better-regulated market than one in which they are not. The question is whether the self-declaration mechanism provides enough accountability in a profession where the client — the vendor — rarely has access to independent verification.

Questions to Ask Before You Sign a Listing Agreement

Vendors engaging an agent in Queensland from mid-2025 onwards should consider making the following a standard part of their agent selection process:

Has your CPD year begun? An agent whose licence was issued less than 12 months ago is exempt from CPD until their first anniversary. Most practising agents are well past this threshold, but it is worth confirming that they are in an active CPD year.

Have you completed your two sessions for this CPD year? The answer should be clear and unambiguous. If an agent is mid-year and has completed one session, they should be able to say which type it was and identify when the second is scheduled.

Can you show me your completion certificates? Registered training organisations issue confirmation records. Agents who have completed their sessions will have these. Agents who have not will not.

Does your licence appear on the OFT public register? The Queensland OFT maintains a publicly searchable register at www.qld.gov.au where you can confirm that an agent's licence is active. An inactive or lapsed licence is an immediate disqualification. OFT's compliance programme can result in licence suspension for non-compliance with CPD requirements, making this check more material than it was in prior years.

The Broader Picture

Queensland's introduction of mandatory CPD places it in alignment with most other Australian states and territories, which have had similar requirements for years. New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia have all operated CPD frameworks for real estate practitioners, and in those jurisdictions, professional standards bodies have noted a gradual improvement in average practitioner knowledge of current legislation.

The caveat is that a requirement to complete training is not the same as a requirement to apply it correctly. CPD hours are a proxy for professional currency, not a guarantee of competent advice. But they raise the floor. An agent who has been required to sit three to six hours of structured learning on legislative compliance and disclosure obligations in the past twelve months is statistically more likely to know about the new seller disclosure framework than one who has not.

For vendors, the practical takeaway is simple: the regulatory environment for real estate agents in Queensland changed in June 2025 in a meaningful way. You have every right — and arguably a financial interest — in confirming that the person you engage to represent you is compliant with it.

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Sources: Queensland Office of Fair Trading — CPD Programme Framework, 2025; Real Estate Institute of Queensland — CPD Guidance for Members; Queensland Government — Licensed Occupations Register; Office of Fair Trading — Licensing Compliance and Enforcement Programme 2025.