How to Complain against Dishonest Singapore property agents

April 2011
With the recent set up of Council of Estate Agencies (http://www.cea.gov.sg/cea/content/index.html) it may be easier to complain against any errant singapore property agents. In the current regulation, agents can no longer represent buyer and seller in a single deal, but we believe that this does not go far enough.
Agents are still happily making referrals to lawyers and banks. This is a serious problem and we should highlight here so that in case you are a victim, you could raise this issue with Council of Estate Agencies.
Many agents make referral to a bank or a mortgage consultant with the lawyer of the agent’s choice. This lawyer then over-charges the person for legal conveyancing fees so as to pay a commission to the property agent. In other words, the agents receive a kick-back. However, as legal kick-backs is illegal under Singapore law, what these property agents have done is, they have committed a crime and is liable to being punished. Similarly many property agents receive a legal kick-back from intermediary companies which we cannot name, with the property buyer ending up with expensive legal conveyancing fees. These intermediary companies are not apparent to the person taking a home loan as it is done at the back end, but these companies will pay the illegal legal fee kick back to the property agent.
It is always useful to note down the time, date of communication with the property agent. And try to communicate more with Emails and get them to confirm their facts via email. Do not rely too much on verbal conversation.
Attached here is a property agent complaint form which we downloaded from the CEA website. (Please note, you should always check the CEA website to ensure that the form is up to date, we only provide a convenience and are not liable to any losses whatsoever from using the form)
CEA Property Agent Complaint Form