When entering a new industry, it can be daunting to approach the entry process. In this blog, we will break down each of New South Wales’ licence classes, what you need to do to obtain them and where to start in navigating the licencing process.

In Australia, every state has their own requirements and restrictions on what you must do to be licenced, and what kind of licence you need. This is because every state has different legislation, which causes the industry to operate in a slightly different way. However, there are some industry factors that are federally mandated, such as the fact that all real estate professionals require a licence to work in the industry, must be over the age of 18 to hold a full licence and must complete a certification relevant to the state or states they wish to operate in.

The Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice and Diploma in Property (Agency Management) are the same qualifications nationwide and consist of the same units, however there are minor differences within each course’s content that tailor them specifically to the legislative needs of each individual state. For this reason, it is important to ensure the course you enrol in is relevant to the state within which you are intending to work.

NSW

In NSW there are three classes of real estate agent: Assistant Agent, Class 2 and Class 1. You must progress through each class consecutively and cannot skip one to progress early.

Assistant Agent

To be an assistant agent in NSW, you must complete an Assistant Agent course. This course is comprised of the first 5 units of the NSW Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice.

These are:

1. Prepare for professional practice in real estate (CPPREP4001)

2. Access and interpret ethical practice in real estate (CPPREP4002)

3. Access and interpret legislation in real estate (CPPREP4003)

4. Establish marketing and communication profiles in real estate (CPPREP4004)

5. Prepare to work with real estate trust accounts (CPPREP4005)

Once all five of these units are completed, you will receive what is called a Statement of Attainment. This can be used to apply to the Office of Fair Trading for a Certificate of Registration, which is the document you need to begin working as an Assistant Agent.

At Under The Hammer, you have the choice of doing these units on their own, or as part of the full Certificate IV. If you choose to enrol in the full Certificate IV, you will receive your Statement of Attainment after completing the first five units.

Your Certificate of Registration lasts for four years from the date of issue and cannot be extended. It is an expectation of the Office of Fair Trading that before the end of this four-year period, you apply for your Class 2 Licence. For this reason, all Assistant Agents are required to take a minimum of three of the remaining units of the Certificate IV per year while their Certificate of Registration is valid.

As an Assistant Agent in NSW, you can work in a restricted capacity under the supervision of a Class 1 Licence holder. You cannot perform high-level actions including signing agency agreements, enter into contracts for the sale of land or authorise the withdrawal of money from trust accounts. However, you can perform duties such as conducting inspections for prospective buyers or renters of properties and supervise the signing of a lease by a tenant. You must be an Assistant Agent for 12 months, and you will be required to keep a logbook as evidence of your work experience.

Enrol now in the Assistant Agent course.

Class 2 Agent

Most real estate agents in NSW are Class 2 Agents. With this licence class you can act as an agent for a client to buy, sell or exchange property for residential or commercial purposes, you can negotiate with vendors and prospective buyers, and collect money in the form of rent, deposits, bonds and fees in relation to a lease or contract. A Class 2 licence holder cannot be the licensee in charge of a business or authorise the withdrawal of money from trust accounts.

To reach this licence class, you must complete the remainder of the Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice. Remember, the first five units of this qualification make up the Assistant Agent course – so to become a Class 2 licence holder you need to complete the remaining 13 elective units:

1. Appraise property for sale or lease (CPPREP4101)

2. Market property (CPPREP4102)

3. Establish vendor relationships (CPPREP4103)

4. Establish buyer relationships (4104)

5. Sell property (CPPREP4105)

6. Establish landlord relationships (CPPREP4121)

7. Manage tenant relationships (CPPREP4122)

8. Manage tenancy (CPPREP4123)

9. End tenancy (CPPREP4124)

10. Transact in trust accounts (CPPREP4125)

11. Represent buyer in sales process (CPPREP4171)

12. Undertake pre-auction processes (CPPREP4161)

13. Present hearings in real estate (CPPREP4503)

When applying for your Class 2 licence, you can decide whether you wish for it to be valid for 1, 3 or 5 years. This is the best licence to hold if you wish to work in residential or commercial sales and property management, or as a buyer’s agent but aren’t interested in having your own business.

Enrol now in the Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice

Class 1 Agent

Class 1 is the highest level of licence you can obtain as a real estate agent in NSW. With this licence class you can perform all the duties of a licenced agent as well as the additional abilities such as to be the licensee in charge of an agency, work on a commission only (sole trader) basis and authorise the withdrawal of money from trust accounts.

To become a Class 1 Agent in NSW, you must have been a Class 2 agent for two years and completed the Diploma of Property (Agency Management). This is a federally recognised qualification that consists of 12 units (7 compulsory, 5 electives), and builds on knowledge obtained in the Certificate IV and professional industry experience.

1. Manage compliance in the property industry (CPPREP5001)

2. Establish and monitor property industry trust account management practices (CPPREP5002)

3. Manage ethical practice in the property industry (CPPREP5003)

4. Manage a safe workplace in the property industry (CPPREP5004)

5. Manage teams in the property industry (CPPREP5005)

6. Manage operational finances in the property industry (CPPREP5006)

7. Develop a strategic business plan in the property industry (CPPREP5007)

8. Manage people performance (BSBLDR522)

9. Provide leadership across the organisation (BSBLDR602)

10. Manage business operational plans (BSSOPS502)

11. Market the property agency (CPPREP5008)

12. Manage customer service activities in the property industry (CPPREP5010)

Similarly to a Class 2 and Assistant Agent, you must apply using this qualification to the Office of Fair Trading, who will issue you with your Class 1 licence. Please note any disciplinary history associated with the licence may prevent any applications from being approved.

Enrol now in the Diploma of Property (Agency Management).

Did you know?

Licence registers in Australia are public. If you don’t know your licence number, or need to find someone else’s, you can follow this link and search by name.

Additional and related qualifications

Stock and Station

To sell or lease any property over 20 hectares you will need a Stock and Station licence. This licence also allows you to act as an agent for the buying and selling of livestock and provide or collect fees for agistment. It is a licence upgrade consisting of five additional units:

1. Confirm and market livestock for sale (CPPREP4301)

2. Prepare livestock for sale (CPPREP4302)

3. Establish vendor and buyer relationships in livestock sale (CPPREP4303)

4. Complete sales process – livestock (CPPREP4304)

5. Develop and maintain rural property market knowledge and intelligence (CPPREP5311)

If you live or work in a rural area, a Stock and Station licence is well worth having, because only holding a regular licence could limit the number of properties you are able to sell or lease. The licence classes for a Stock and Station are in line with a regular licence (Assistant Agent -> Class 2 -> Class 1).

Strata

To work in Strata Management, you need a Strata licence. This differs from a real estate licence and will allow you to manage and report on funds, conduct Strata meetings, manage property maintenance and advise on complex strata issues among other responsibilities. Similarly to real estate sales and leasing, Strata licences include three classes (Assistant Agent -> Class 2 -> Class 1), and to obtain this licence you must complete a Certificate IV in Strata Community Management.

To learn more about being a Strata manager, please refer to the Office of Fair Trading website.

Auction

To conduct an auction of a property, land or livestock in NSW, you must have an auction accreditation and a valid Class 1 or 2 Real Estate or Stock and Station licence. To obtain this accreditation, you need to complete an additional three units of the NSW Certificate IV:

1. Undertake the pre-auction processes (CPPREP4161)

2. Conduct and complete sale by auction (CPPREP4162)

3. Complete post-auction process and contract execution (CPPREP4163)

The completion of these units will give you a Statement of Attainment, that can be used to apply to the Office of Fair Trading for the additional class to be added to your licence.

To enrol in the Auctioneer Accreditation, please click here!

*Please note that the elective courses listed above are the selection available for study at Under The Hammer. For further information on licence classes, requirements and restrictions, please visit the Office of Fair-Trading website.

Maintaining your real estate licence in NSW

It is vital to remember that all licence holders in NSW must complete a form of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) every year between July 1st and June 30th. For assistant agents, CPD just means working towards your Class 2 licence by continuing to take units of the Certificate IV. For Class 2 and 1 agents, CPD is a one day course held either in person or partially over zoom. The course covers compulsory topics set by the Office of Fair Trading and provides agents with up-to-date information on state legislation and refreshers on core skills as outlined in the Cert IV and Diploma. If you are a Stock and Station licence holder, you will need to take additional units on top of those required of you as an agent. If you fail to complete CPD within the CPD year (July 1 to June 30) you may be audited and fined by the Office of Fair Trading.

For 2025/2026 the CPD requirements for Class 2 and 1 agents will include a 3 hour session that must be done face to face. This means that for this year, clients can choose whether they wish to complete CPD in one 7 hour face to face session, or split into one 4 hour virtual workshop and one 3 hour face to face at a venue.

To find out more and to book a CPD session, click here!