19th July 2024 - Mandatory CPD

Mandatory professional development for the property industry

From 7 June 2025 the following Queensland property professionals must complete continuing professional development (CPD) training each year to maintain their licence or registration:

• Real estate agents
• Real estate salespersons
• Real property auctioneers
• Resident letting agents.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is consulting with industry and community representatives to identify appropriate CPD training sessions for inclusion in the CPD scheme. We're also establishing an advisory panel, including representatives from peak property industry bodies and the community and a training specialist, to help us determine acceptable CPD sessions. Other government agencies will be able to advise the panel where relevant.

Subject to future consultation with the advisory panel, we may require property agents to complete 2 CPD training sessions each year. One session would include subjects in the national property services training package and the other would include subjects approved by us.

We recognise that many agents already choose to complete professional development to keep their skills up to date or as part of an industry body membership.

Making annual professional development mandatory for all relevant property agents will lift industry professionalism and build community confidence in the sector.

More information

In the next 12 months, we'll update this page with important information you'll need to know before the requirement is mandatory.

We'll let you know:

• how to work out your CPD year—it will be linked to the issue date of your first licence or certificate
• which CPD training topics are approved
• how to advise us when you've completed your annual CPD.

Sourced from Mandatory professional development for the property industry | Your rights, crime and the law | Queensland Government (www.qld.gov.au)

10th July 2024 - Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML / CTF) Regime set to apply to the real estate sector

Read more here. The July 2024 Real Estate Excellence Member update covers this matter. Listen to podcast here.  Members refer to Real Estate Excellence Member Updates.

 

22nd June 2024 - New rent increase laws Queensland from June 6 2024.

Thanks to the many wonderful PM's who attended my latest Half Day training events held throughout Queensland (realestateexcellence.com.au) in May and June which focused on the Stage 2 assent and proclamation provisions (and more). One of the biggest challenges in the amended rent increase laws which apply to the property. The next PME half day training events held throughout Queensland are in September and October 2024. Details are Training/Events (realestateexcellence.com.au)

Regrettably, the Government of Queensland does not appear to have released a media statement regarding this significant change for investors and property managers. 

Members of Real Estate Excellence we are an email away for any best practice support and advice you require for this, or any other matter we can assist with. Plus, Members, refer to the June Real Estate Excellence Member Updates emailed on 10th June 2024.

A reminder for all below (sourced from the RTA).

""If there was a rent increase within the last 12 months before this new requirement was implemented, it still counts towards the 12-month limit, even if it happened with a different agreement, tenant, or owner.

It is an offence under the Act to increase the rent in less than 12 months, with a maximum penalty of 20 penalty units".

Fixed term agreements from the RTA. (Note following is not new law - with the only amendment to Section 91 being the requirement to include in the written notice to add the date of the last rent increase. Rent cannot increase before the first 2 months of a tenancy commencing (refer to section 91 if required) - Stacey Holt).

Rent cannot be increased during a fixed term unless it is stated in the tenancy agreement and all of the following occurs:

• the agreement states the rent will be increased
• the agreement states the new amount (or how it will be worked out)
• the property manager/owner gives the tenant at least two months' notice in writing for a general tenancy and four weeks’ notice for a rooming accommodation agreement
• it has been at least 12 months since the last increase for the premises or room.

The property manager/owner must also give the tenant or resident separate written notice of the increase. It does not automatically come into effect because it is in the agreement. The notice should include the increased amount and the day it takes effect.

Sourced from the RTA website. 

18th June 2024 - Virtual manager breaches the Privacy Act.

One of Australia's largest tenancy databases breached a renter's privacy by operating an additional service that tracked their movements over seven years, Australia's information watchdog has found. The complaint concerned Tenancy Information Centre Australasia's (TICA) "virtual manager" service, which allows property managers to opt in to receive notifications when the name of tenants they have logged with the service are searched in TICA's main database as part of future rental property applications. While formal tenancy databases — often called blacklists — are subject to strict privacy and information rules, including that listings must be removed after three years, the virtual manager service has operated outside of these guardrails for years, allowing property managers to keep tabs on tenants indefinitely. TICA — a private company that collates renters' data and provides it to real estate agencies for a fee — argued the virtual manager service is an "internal database" and therefore exempt from statutory requirements for rental blacklists. Read more here.

10th May 2024 - New PO Form 6 version 1st May 2024.

A new Property Management Excellence PME - Stacey Holt podcast. Listen here.

 

29th April 2024 - QCASE now available in other locations. 

During my February/ March 2024 Half day PME Training/Events (realestateexcellence.com.au), I covered the QCAT President Directions, and QCase. QCase has been trialling in Brisbane, and has now expanded into the following locations. Learn more at Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (qcat.qld.gov.au)