Over 1 in 10 Singaporeans handled the sale of their Housing Board (HDB) flats last year, said National Development Minister Mr Khaw Boon Wan.

Mr Khaw revealed this in a recent blog post that he wrote about the diverse reactions he received in response to another post about the Council for Estate Agencies' (CEA) first year. It was set up last year to raise the professionalism of the industry to better protect consumer interest.

These views include people's suggestions to prohibit real estate agents from handling HDB resale transactions and the opposing view of stopping do-it-yourself (DIY) resale transactions.

Others called for greater protection of consumers from estate agents, and protection of estate agents from consumers who do not discharge their commitments.

In reply to this, Mr Khaw wrote: "My bias will be towards the consumers, but to do so in a fair manner. I don't think it is appropriate to prohibit agents from handling HDB resale transactions. Neither is it necessary to mandate that all resale HDB transactions should be via agents."

He explained that HDB does not mandate owners to use agents to complete a deal, and facilitates DIY transactions through a checklist on the HDB website.

For those who do engage an agent, the amount of commission can be determined between the owner and the salesperson, said Mr Khaw.

He cautions: "However, CEA does encourage the use of the Estate Agency Agreement form to put on record the amount of commission agreed by both parties from the start. This will avoid future disputes."

Mr Khaw said CEA will look into shortening the time frame for dispute resolution, which parties can make use of in case of disputes arising from the Estate Agency Agreement.

He warned: "CEA will encourage salespersons caught in disputes to turn to their companies and key executive officers (KEOs) for guidance in the first instance. But if there is evidence of an infringement of CEA's regulations and policies, CEA will promptly investigate and take appropriate actions against the errant salespersons."

The KEO is the person who is responsible for the proper administration and overall management of the business and the supervision of estate agent's salespersons, such as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), or the Managing Director (MD).

Meanwhile, more courses will be offered for its 30,000 registered salespersons to keep up with the changing nature of the property market.

ellenja@sph.com.sg