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RES learning guide

Agency duties and conflicts

Identify the client, the consent required and the interest that must be disclosed before choosing an answer.

Built for the RES examination syllabus that applies from 1 January 2027. CEA has published a revised syllabus for examinations from that date. Examinations held in 2026 and earlier use the RES Examination Syllabus 2017 instead. The remaining 2026 papers are sat on 31 October 2026 and 1 November 2026; if that is your sitting, treat this as revision of the law rather than as a rehearsal of your blueprint, because the two syllabuses examine the same statutes under a different structure.

What changed between the two syllabuses · CEA's own statement of which syllabus applies

A reliable way to study this topic

  1. 1. Classify the factsName the transaction, person, document and date before recalling a rule.
  2. 2. Find the authorityRead the exact provision or regulator rule. Note what it does not cover.
  3. 3. Apply, then calculateUse the facts in the order the rule requires. Keep assumptions visible.
  4. 4. Test the edgesAsk what changes if the date, status, property type or client changes.

Apply it: Agency duties and conflicts questions

Every Freehold question shows why the right answer is right — and cites its source.

Under the Estate Agents Act 2010, what must a person be before holding himself out to the public as ready to undertake estate agency work as an estate agent?

  1. A registered salesperson acting through a licensed estate agent
  2. A licensed estate agent
  3. A member of an accredited industry association
  4. A holder of the prescribed educational qualification
Show answer & explanation

A licensed estate agent — Section 28(1) catches holding out as well as acting, so advertising a willingness to do the work is itself the prohibited conduct.

Source: Estate Agents Act 2010 s 28(1) · checked 2026-08-07

What is the maximum fine on conviction for carrying on estate agency work without an estate agent's licence?

  1. S$7,500
  2. S$25,000
  3. S$75,000
  4. S$50,000
Show answer & explanation

S$75,000 — Carrying on estate agency work without an estate agent's licence carries a fine of up to S$75,000, and imprisonment of up to three years is also available, with a further daily fine for a continuing offence after conviction. S$7,500 and S$25,000 both belong to lesser conduct offences and are far too light for unlicensed trading. S$50,000 is a plausible-looking round figure but is not the maximum the Act sets for this offence.

Source: Estate Agents Act 2010 s 28(2) · checked 2026-08-07

An unlicensed person completes estate agency work and the client refuses to pay the agreed fee. What does the Estate Agents Act 2010 provide?

  1. The fee is recoverable, the offence being punished separately
  2. The fee is recoverable up to the amount of any quantum meruit assessed
  3. The fee is recoverable only with the Council's written consent
  4. No fee, commission or reward is recoverable in any action, suit or matter
Show answer & explanation

No fee, commission or reward is recoverable in any action, suit or matter — Where the work was done without the required licence, no fee, commission or reward is recoverable in any action, suit or matter, which bites harder on the operator than the fine that precedes it. The idea that the fee is recoverable with the offence punished separately misreads the provision entirely. A quantum meruit assessment is closed off for the same reason, and there is no power for the Council to consent to recovery in writing.

Source: Estate Agents Act 2010 s 28(3) · checked 2026-08-07

Primary sources used here

Open the source and confirm the current text before relying on a changing rate or limit.

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