This review will cover areas such as an agent's qualification and training standards, putting in place a dispute resolution mechanism and an enforcement framework against agencies with errant agents, she said.

Mrs Lim was addressing a question from Mr Lim Biow Chuan (Marine Parade GRC), who asked if there were plans to license individual agents.

Currently, any housing agent can switch from one agency to another, even if he is sacked, said Mr Lim.

'How does the Ministry intend to deal with such rogue agents who behave in unethical manners... won't it be better to issue licences to individual agents instead of regulating them through agencies?' he asked.

The Government review, first disclosed by National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan last week in an interview with The Straits Times, closely follows a high-profile case last month where a couple took estate agency ERA Realty Network to court after they sold their downtown apartment for $688,000 in 2007.

Mrs Lim said on Tuesday the government agrees that the 'current state of the industry is not satisfactory,' noting the frequent complaints against unscrupulous housing agents.

Government agencies including the National Development Ministry, Housing Board, Ministry of Finance and the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore are 'reviewing possible ways of strengthening the regulatory framework and raising overall professional standards,' she said.

'Among other things, there is a need for greater control by the housing agencies over the conduct of their agents,' added Mrs Lim.