What do agents have to display in their office, signage and advertising material?
Under section 121 of the Real Estate Agents Act 2008 (the Act) real estate agents must display in a prominent place:
- the name of the agent
- the fact that the agent is licensed under the Act
- if the agent's business is not carried on in the agent's name, the name under which the business is carried on in.
This information must be displayed:
- at every office or shop maintained by the agent for the purpose of the business
- on every website maintained by the agent for the purpose of the business
- on all notices, advertisements or other material published by or on behalf of the agent in the course of the business
- on all letters, accounts, contractual documents, agreements, and other documents sent, handed out, entered into or published by the agent in the course of the business.
The Act is not prescriptive about the exact wording of the information required to be displayed. The following are some examples that are acceptable to demonstrate the fact that the agent, as an individual or company, is licensed under the 2008 Act. These examples are illustrative only:
- Agent as an individual:
Jo Smith, licensed under the Real Estate Agents Act 2008
- Agent as a company:
ABC Realty Ltd, licensed under the Real Estate Agents Act 2008
Branch Managers and Salespersons
A branch manager or salesperson may wish to include in their advertising that they are a licensed branch manager or salesperson but this is not required by the Act.
Under the Act, "agent" is a class of licence and a person with a branch manager's or salesperson's licence cannot advertise that they are an agent. It is an offence for someone to say that they are a licensed agent, branch manager or salesperson if they do not hold the relevant class of licence.
