How NSW CPD is structured
NSW Fair Trading sets CPD for Class 1 licensees, Class 2 licensees and certificate of registration holders. The CPD year runs from 1 July to 30 June. Your requirement depends on two things. The first is your licence category: Real Estate, Strata Managing Agent, or Stock and Station Agent. The second is your area of practice, meaning the work you actually do. A real estate licence covers six areas: residential sales, residential property management, buyers agency, commercial, business broking and onsite (short-term) residential property management.
You only do the compulsory topics for the areas you actually work in. A property manager who never sells does not do the sales topics. If you work across several areas, you complete the topics for each of them. Where two areas share a topic, you do it once, provided it meets the learning outcomes for both. Holding more than one licence category means you must keep up CPD in each one, even a category you are not using.
Hours and compulsory topics for 2026-27
Residential salespeople do 7 hours over four topics: auction laws and practice, contracts, a Rules of Conduct refresher, and Supervision Guidelines and AML/CTF in agency practice. Residential property managers do 7 hours over three topics: repairs, maintenance and habitability, residential tenancy reforms and common mistakes, and domestic and family violence. The domestic and family violence topic must run for at least 4 hours.
Buyers agents do 7 hours. Their topics are marketing services, scope of practice and licensing obligations, plus auctions, contracts and the supervision and AML/CTF topic. Commercial agents do 7 hours on fire safety regulations, GST in commercial transactions, the Rules of Conduct refresher and the supervision and AML/CTF topic. Business brokers do 7 hours over three topics. Onsite short-term managers do 4 hours. Strata licence holders do 6 hours on regulatory change in strata, repairs and maintenance, and roles, authority and risk.
The sales and property management topics do not overlap on this year's list. If you both sell and manage rentals, plan on at least 14 hours. The hours have gone up over time. Fair Trading brought in four compulsory hours from March 2023 and raised that to five in 2024. The minimum is now 7 hours for most areas.
How the training must be delivered
Compulsory topics count only if a provider approved by the Strata and Property Services Commissioner delivers them. The training must be interactive. That means face-to-face with no more than 40 people, or an interactive webinar with no more than 25. Every course must include an assessment. Recorded videos you watch alone do not count towards the compulsory topics.
Approved providers include industry associations such as the Real Estate Institute of New South Wales and Strata Community Association (NSW), plus private organisations the Commissioner has approved for the year. Not every provider is approved for every topic. For domestic and family violence, Fair Trading must have reviewed the provider's content and assessment, so check the approved list before you enrol.
Class 1 licensees and assistant agents
Class 1 licensees must attend at least 5 hours of an accredited forum on top of their core hours. Fair Trading runs forums during the year, and some approved providers run accredited sessions that may cost a fee. If you hold two licence categories, one forum is enough. Class 1 licensees in sales, buyers agency, commercial, business broking or stock and station must also complete all three modules of AUSTRAC's Smart real estate agent's guide to AML/CTF. That course does not replace the compulsory supervision and AML/CTF topic.
Licensees-in-charge must complete all the CPD set out in their agency's training plan. Assistant agents on a certificate of registration follow a different rule. They complete at least 3 units each year from the Certificate IV needed for a Class 2 licence, and they can choose any units from that qualification.
What you need
- Core compulsory topicsComplete the hours and topics for every licence category you hold and every area of practice you work in. For most real estate areas that is 7 hours, for onsite short-term managers it is 4 hours, and for strata it is 6 hours.
- Approved providerCompulsory topics must be delivered by a provider approved by the Strata and Property Services Commissioner for that topic in that CPD year.
- Interactive format with assessmentTraining must be face-to-face (maximum 40 attendees) or an interactive webinar (maximum 25 attendees), and it must include an assessment activity.
- Class 1 forumClass 1 licensees must also attend at least 5 hours of a NSW Fair Trading accredited forum. Class 1 licensees in sales, buyers agency, commercial, business broking or stock and station must also complete AUSTRAC's AML/CTF course.
- Assistant agentsCertificate of registration holders complete at least 3 units a year from the Certificate IV needed for a Class 2 licence. Assistant stock and station agents limited to livestock sales have no CPD requirement.
- RecordsKeep your own evidence of completed topics and hand it over if Fair Trading asks. Class 1 and Class 2 licensees keep records for 3 years. Certificate holders keep their statements of attainment for 4 years.
How to get there
- Early JulyConfirm your categories and areas of practiceList each licence category you hold and each type of work you do. Together they decide which compulsory topics and minimum hours apply to you.
- July to SeptemberChoose an approved providerCheck the current approved provider list. Make sure the provider is approved for each topic you need, especially domestic and family violence.
- During the CPD yearComplete the compulsory topicsAttend interactive face-to-face or webinar sessions and pass the assessment for each topic. Shared topics across areas only need doing once if they meet the learning outcomes for each area.
- During the CPD yearClass 1: attend a forum and do the AUSTRAC courseAttend at least 5 hours of an accredited forum. If you work in a relevant area, also finish all three modules of AUSTRAC's AML/CTF course and keep proof.
- On completionFile your recordsSave certificates and evidence of completion. Licensees keep them for 3 years and certificate holders for 4 years.
- By 30 JuneFinish by 30 JuneHours do not carry over for licensees. Only assistant agents can carry extra Certificate IV units into the next year.
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Questions people ask
How many CPD hours does a NSW property manager need?
For 2026-27, a residential property manager needs at least 7 hours of interactive training from an approved provider. It covers repairs, maintenance and habitability, residential tenancy reforms and common mistakes, and domestic and family violence. The domestic and family violence topic must run for at least 4 hours.
Can I carry extra CPD hours into next year?
No, not if you hold a licence. Licensees cannot carry hours over. Assistant agents on a certificate of registration are the exception: extra Certificate IV units they complete in one year can count towards the next.
What happens if I do not complete my CPD?
NSW Fair Trading can suspend or cancel your licence or certificate. A court can also fine you up to $11,000.
Do I need CPD if I only just got my licence?
If your licence or certificate started less than 90 days before 30 June, you are exempt for that CPD year. For 2026-27, that means any licence starting on or after 1 April 2027. The exemption does not apply if you are coming back from a suspension or cancellation that carried a CPD condition.
Does online learning count towards NSW CPD?
Only if it is an interactive webinar with no more than 25 attendees, run by an approved provider and including an assessment. Self-paced online modules do not count towards the compulsory topics. The one exception is AUSTRAC's AML/CTF course, which is a separate Class 1 requirement.
Do Class 2 agents have to attend the Fair Trading forum?
No. The 5-hour accredited forum applies only to Class 1 licensees, on top of their core hours. Class 2 agents complete the compulsory topics for their areas of practice.
