Littering Problem Caused by Marketing Pamphlets and Materials from Estate Agents

Mr Don Wee asked the Minister for National Development what measures are there to ensure that the Council for Estate Agencies manages its members’ behaviour, such as the way they conduct their businesses so as not to cause disturbance or nuisance to the public through excessive marketing pamphlets and printed publicity materials, which result in littering problems in the estates.

Mr Desmond Lee: The conduct of property agents is governed by the Estate Agents Act (EAA) and its Regulations, including the Code of Ethics and Professional Client Care (CEPCC) which sets the standard of performance required of property agents in their dealings with clients and the public while carrying out estate agency work.

The Council for Estate Agencies ( CEA ) also has in place practice guidelines to provide detailed guidance to property agents on various areas, including advertising content and distribution methods. For example, property agents must distribute their marketing pamphlets properly, such as through mailboxes or under the doors of property units.

CEA will investigate complaints against property agents and take action against those who breach the EAA and its Regulations. Depending on the severity of the infringement, errant property agents may be issued with warning letters, financial penalties and/or have their registration with CEA suspended or revoked. CEA will continue to study ways to further tackle the problem of improper flyer distribution. For instance, under the Real Estate Industry Transformation Map (RE ITM), CEA is engaging the industry to shift towards digital advertisements.