The Board has determined that the continuing education requirement for 2008/09 is eight hours for both Real Estate Agents and Property Managers.

Registrations are issued for one year from the date of application and therefore can fall due for renewal at any time during a year, so the eight hours must be completed before the registration lapses.

To clarify, the Property Agents and Land Transactions Act 2005 currently provides that the continuing education obligation applies only to persons registered by the Board.

For The following are approved: -

(i) Seminars, conferences, workshops and courses conducted by the Real Estate Institute.

(ii) Courses conducted by another registered training organisation, the franchise and marketing groups and the professional development training obligations required by the Australian Institute of Valuers and Land Economists.

(iii) Courses conducted “in house” providing they relate to real estate, are properly structured, and are presented by accredited trainers. That is trainers who have completed the Cert IV in Training and Assessment (TAA40104).

(iv) The Real Estate Diploma Course and any other course relevant to real estate which is conducted by a registered organisation.

With the exception of agents and managers living on King and Flinders Islands, hours cannot be “banked” and carried forward to the next year.

The Real Estate Institute will be conducting a comprehensive program of continuing education during 2008 so there will be ample opportunity for every agent/manager to achieve their required hours.

Those registered agents or property managers who are not members of the Real Estate Institute of Tasmania are still entitled to attend the Institute training sessions due to the courses being substantially subsidised by grants from the Property Agents Guarantee Fund. Details of the courses can be obtained from the Institute office.

The relevant Section in the Act concerning continuing education is:

“67 (1) Despite any other provision in this Division to the contrary, a person ceases to be qualified to continue to be named in the Register unless, within a period specified by the Board, the person has undertaken any continuing education course specified by the Board.

(2) A person named in Part 1(1), or Part 2(1), or Part 3 of the Register must maintain a register containing details of the continuing education undertaken in accordance with subsection (1) by the person and by any relevant employee.

Penalty: Fine not exceeding 50 penalty units. ($5,000)

(3) The person referred to in subsection (2) must make the register available to the Board upon being requested by the Board.

Penalty: Fine not exceeding 50 penalty units. ($5,000)”.