25 Anniversary Estate Agents Authority

1997
MAY

Enactment of Estate Agents Ordinance

NOV

• Establishment of the Estate Agents Authority
• The late Dr Hon Marvin CHEUNG Kin-tung, GBS, OBE, JP was appointed the founding Chairman of the EAA

1999
JAN

• First batch of licences was granted to persons exempted from certain licensing requirements
• Issuance of Code of Ethics

MAR

Held the first qualifying examinations for estate agents and salespersons

NOV

Estate Agents Practice (General Duties and Hong Kong Residential Properties) Regulation came into effect

2000
JAN

Reduction of licence fees by 20%

2001
DEC

End of the three-year transition period of the licensing system - an important landmark in the trade’s progress towards professionalism as all new entrants must fulfill all licensing requirements without exemption from then

2002
JAN

Estate Agents (Licensing) (Amendment) Regulation 2001 came into effect. Licence fees were reduced by 30% and qualified licensees were allowed to renew their licences within 24 months from the lapse of their last held licences

2003
NOV

Dr Steven POON Kwok-lim, BBS, JP was appointed the Chairman of the EAA

2005
MAY

Launch of the Continuing Professional Development ("CPD") Scheme

2006
MAR

Introduction of Certificate of Attainment and Attainment symbol to encourage estate agents’ participation in CPD scheme

2007
MAR

Establishment of Section 28 Investigation Committee

NOV

10th Anniversary of the EAA

2008
JUN

Introduction of CPD Mark for Estate Agencies

AUG

Signing of agreement with the Guangzhou Real Estate Agent Service Administration Centre on Hong Kong practitioners obtaining a qualification to practise estate agency work in Guangzhou

NOV

Ms Vivien CHAN, SBS, JP was appointed the Chairman of the EAA

2009
MAY

Launch of a one-off, six-month licence fee concession scheme

2010
MAY

Issuance of three new practice circulars regulating estate agents’ sales practices of first-hand residential properties

NOV

Signing of agreement with the China Institute of Real Estate Appraisers and Agents ("CIREA") on mutual recognition of professional qualifications between Mainland and Hong Kong estate agents

2011
JUL

Completion of the first training course and examination for the scheme of mutual recognition of professional qualifications for estate agents in the Mainland and Hong Kong

2012
NOV

15th Anniversary of the EAA

2013
JAN

The practice circular requiring estate agents to provide "saleable area" for second-hand residential properties took effect

2014
NOV

Prof William LEUNG Wing-cheung, GBS, JP was appointed the Chairman of the EAA

2015
MAR

Awarded the first “Caring Organisation” logo from the Hong Kong Council of Social Service

SEP

Launch of new consumer education initiative in the form of public seminars to enhance consumers’ knowledge relating to property transactions

2016
MAY

Launch of e-Services for online licence renewal application by individual licensees

OCT

Launch of the EAA’s Certificate Programme in Practice

NOV

Awarded the first batch of “Silver” Premium Symbol to eligible licensees under the CPD scheme

2017
JAN

Publication of disciplinary decisions with the reasons for the decisions for achieving greater transparency

FEB

Launch of a new consumer education website, "Be Smart in Appointing Estate Agents"

JUN

Signing of agreement with the CIREA to renew the mutual recognition of professional qualifications scheme for estate agents in the Mainland and Hong Kong

NOV

20th Anniversary of the EAA

DEC

• Second training course and examination for the scheme of mutual recognition of professional qualifications for estate agents in the Mainland and Hong Kong completed

• Issuance of new practice circular on the sale of uncompleted properties situated outside Hong Kong

2018
JUL

Signing of the Charter on the Sales of First-hand Residential Properties with developers for maintaining good order at sale sites

AUG

The EAA’s first purchased office in use

NOV

The EAA and trade representatives attended the Mutual Evaluation by the Financial Action Task Force on the compliance and effectiveness of Hong Kong’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime

DEC

Awarded the first batch of “Gold” Premium Symbol to eligible licensees under the CPD scheme

2019
JUN

The first CSR activity organised by the EAA with the estate agency trade to clean up the Hong Kong shorelines

JUL

Launch of computer-based examination for the Salespersons Qualifying Examination

AUG

The EAA’s “5A Agent” publicity campaign promoting the “5A” qualities of professional estate agents was awarded the “Education Award (Consumer Education)” by the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials ("ARELLO"), an international recognition

2020
JAN

The EAA announced to offer a one-off professional development subsidy to eligible individual licensees

MAY

Under the second round of Anti-epidemic Fund, the Government provided a one-off cash subsidy equivalent to two years’ licence fees to eligible individual licensees through the EAA

JUN

“Estate Agents Community Service Proposal Competition” successfully held, with positive participation from the trade

NOV

Ms Elaine LIU, JP was appointed the Chairman of the EAA

2021
  JUN

Two educational outreach teams set up to assist the estate agency trade in complying with AML and advertisement-related requirements

OCT

The EAA’s second purchased office in the same building in use

DEC

188 estate agency shops awarded the “CPD Mark”, the highest number recorded in the last ten years

2022
MAR

• The EAA held an online ceremony for the “Estate Agents Energy Saving Award Scheme” and awarded 387 estate agency shops



• Launched new educational campaign with a new slogan “To Buy or not to buy off-plan properties outside Hong Kong, assess the risks before you buy!”

APR

The EAA received the "Grand Prize Award" (2020-22) from Employees Retraining Board

JUL

Mr Simon SIU Chak-yu, BBS, JP was appointed the Chairman of the EAA

OCT

25th Anniversary of the EAA