In 1995 the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS), the licensing body for house agents in Singapore, decided to implement a Common Examination for House Agents (CEHA) in April 1996 with the aim of raising the standard of practice in estate agency business here. The Common Examination is conducted by a Board of Examiners which comprises officials from Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) and representatives from the Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers (SISV), Institute of Estate Agents (IEA) and Singapore Accredited Estate Agencies Limited (SAEA).

A pass in the CEHA examination is one of the minimum pre-requisites for those who wish to apply for a House Agent's License under the Appraisers and House Agents Act.

The Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers (SISV) has been appointed as the Secretariat for CEHA, under the direction of the Board of Examiners for CEHA. In this capacity, SISV is strictly responsible for all administrative and logistical matters pertaining to the Common Examination. These responsibilities include processing applications, notification of results and all matters relating to CEHA.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of CEHA are:

1. To raise the standard of professional services offered by real estate agents;
   
2. To promote and maintain a high level of professionalism among real estate agents;
   
3. To ensure that real estate services are provided by qualified, trained and knowledgeable real estate agents and
   
4. To provide potential real estate agents and the public with a benchmark of the expected level of knowledge that is required of real estate agents.