Upcoming amendments to the Real Estate Agents Act 2008
On 9 March 2027, some regulatory changes will come into effect under the Real Estate Agents Act 2008.
As at 2 October 2026
This page will be updated with further information and guidance as it becomes available.
What is changing and why?
In July 2026, the Regulatory Systems (Occupational Regulation) Amendment Act 2026 became law, bringing amendments to the Real Estate Agents Act 2008.
These changes will strengthen the real estate regulatory regime, remove some of the legislative constraints, promote confidence in real estate agency work, and protect the interests of consumers.
Some key changes include:
- Enabling REA to request specified documents where REA has reasonable grounds to believe a person has contravened the Act, Regulations or Practice Rules or a person is carrying out real estate agency work and is unlicensed.
- Expanding the types of behaviour that could be considered “unsatisfactory conduct”, including conduct that agents of good standing would reasonably regard as being unacceptable.
- Removing requirement for REA Registrar to stand-down an individual from holding a real estate licence for five years following cancellation for failure to complete CPD and non-payment of fees.
When do the changes take effect?
The change that the REA Board Chair is no longer required to be a lawyer of 7+ years' experience comes into effect now.
All other amendments come into effect on 9 March 2027.
Where can I find further details of these changes?
The full Regulatory Systems (Occupational Regulation) Amendment Act 2026 is available on the New Zealand Legislation website here(external link).
REA issued a media release(external link) and special industry pānui newsletter(external link) about the upcoming changes. We will publish further detail on the REA website and via industry pānui newsletters in due course.
Please also see below a short summary of each of the changes.
Summary of changes to the Real Estate Agents Act 2008
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Change summary |
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Administrative change - updates the statutory name of REA from Real Estate Agents Authority to Real Estate Authority. |
| REA Board Chair is no longer required to be a lawyer of 7+ years' experience. Enables candidates with a broad range professional experience and expertise to be considered by the Minister when appointing the REA Chair. |
| New power for REA to request specified documents where REA has reasonable grounds to believe a person has contravened the Act, Regulations or Practice Rules or a person is carrying out real estate agency work and is unlicensed. |
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Allows some exemptions to prescribed qualification requirements for licence applicants in certain circumstances. |
| Removes requirement for REA Registrar to stand-down an individual from holding a real estate licence for five years for failure to complete CPD and non-payment of fees. Cancellation is still required, but individuals will be able to re-apply if they complete their CPD requirements. Moderates regulatory consequence and provides avenue for licence reinstatement. |
| A real estate licence may be renewed within 12 months of expiry, rather than requiring a new licence application process. Reduces administrative burden for REA and licensees. |
| Ability for REA to cancel a licence at the point when someone becomes a person who would be prohibited from holding a licence under the Act. Previously this could only occur at the date of annual renewal. Enables REA to respond in a timely way to reduce the risk to consumers. |
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Provides improvements to granting of a temporary licence. |
| Expands the types of behaviour that could be considered “unsatisfactory conduct”, including conduct that agents of good standing would reasonably regard as being unacceptable. Enables Complaints Assessment Committees to consider poor conduct that is linked to the licensees professional role beyond action directly connected to a specific transaction. This enables the Complaints and Discipline process to be more responsive to poor conduct concerns, and conduct that affects consumer confidence in the profession. |
| New offence for failing to provide, without reasonable excuse, a document to REA in accordance with notice under s 24A. Strengthens REA’s ability to gather information and evidence. |
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Administrative change enabling certain documents to be in approved form issued by REA:
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