BL Premium reports that the Estate Agency Affairs Board (EAAB), the body responsible for regulating and controlling certain activities of estate agents, says it has issued most of the outstanding certificates required by estate agents to practice.

Estate agents need to have valid fidelity fund certificates (FFCs) to sell properties. It’s a criminal offence for any person to act as an estate agent without a valid licence. However, after the EAAB failed to issue 2021 certificates to more than 832 estate agents, Real Estate Business Owners of SA (Rebosa), a non-profit group, took the body to court to force it to do so. On 16 March, a judge ordered the EAAB to issue the certificates or refusals with reasons within days. It was also ordered to report to the court the number of applications received on or before 31 October 2020, as well as the number of the applications approved for certification, and certificates issued. In a statement on Monday, the EAAB said it was studying the judgment. It added that of the 832 outstanding certificates, 629 had been issued, 166 were duplicate applications and 37 were incomplete. The EAAB went on to indicate that it “was committed to ensuring that every legitimate certificate applicant can get his or her certificate in time” and it was holding weekly meetings with Rebosa to resolve issues.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Katharine Child at BusinessLive (paywall access only)

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