A major property lobbyist is warning that the quality of real estate agents across the country will suffer if proposed regulation changes take effect.
The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA) is strongly opposing a move by the federal government to lower educational standards for estate agents.
It released a statement yesterday claiming to be 'alarmed' by the move, which it said represented a 'watering down' of standards.
The federal government has proposed a plan to downgrade educational requirements of estate agents from a diploma to a Certificate IV.
It is also looking to abolish annual development training, as well as “do away with licenses altogether”, according to REIWA.
“I cannot see any benefits to the profession or to the public in lowering the benchmark for education and training for those people who wish to work in the real estate sector,” said REIWA's president David Airey.
The government, however, has claimed it's working towards a single, national licensing scheme for real estate agents.
“REIWA supports the principle of national licensing, but not at the expense of lowering standards. If we must have a uniform licensing code across the nation then standards must be lifted across country and not pulled down to the lowest common denominator," said Airey.
