THE Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) on Thursday unveiled a refined training guide and requirement for property agents.

Previously, property agents only had to fulfil an annual training requirement of six hours before they could renew their licences. At least three hours had to be on "core" courses.

Under the new Continuing Professional Development Training Road Map, the CEA has categorised core modules into three areas: professional ethics, Estate Agents Act and Regulations; laws and government policies related to estate agency work; and practice-related knowledge and issues.

On top of that, CEA also tightened licencing requirements. From Oct 1, property agents have to attend at least one module from each category over a three year period, in addition to the existing yearly requirement. Those who fail to do so will not be able to renew their licences after three years, said CEA.

Other changes to the training framework include sorting the courses into three levels of expertise to match the proficiency and needs of various property agents.