NSW Rules of Conduct refresher: CPD themes for day-to-day agency practice

For the 2026–2027 NSW CPD year (1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027), Rules of Conduct refresher is a published compulsory interactive topic for residential real estate salespeople and commercial real estate agents. Completing it through an approved provider is part of meeting your pathway hours. It is also a structured mid-year checkpoint on the conduct standards that sit behind everyday listings, negotiations, and disclosures.

This article is a public explainer of how Rules of Conduct CPD themes show up in day-to-day agency practice. It summarises published Fair Trading CPD guidance and common professional-conduct principles. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace reading the official rules or completing your compulsory training.

According to the NSW Government CPD page (last updated 9 July 2026 at the time of writing), compulsory topics must be delivered by an approved provider in an interactive environment (face-to-face, maximum 40 attendees, or interactive webinar, maximum 25 attendees) and must include an assessment activity.

Who needs Rules of Conduct refresher in 2026–2027

Fair Trading lists Rules of Conduct refresher among the compulsory topics for:

• Residential real estate salespeople — minimum 7 hours covering 4 compulsory topics
• Commercial real estate agents — minimum 7 hours covering 4 compulsory topics

It does not appear on the published compulsory lists for buyers agents, business brokers, stock and station agents, onsite short-term residential property managers, or strata managing agents. Those pathways have different topic sets. Residential property manager compulsory topics for 2026–2027 are still being finalised.

If you hold multiple licence categories or work across several areas of practice, you must cover the compulsory topics for each relevant pathway. Shared topics generally do not need to be repeated if all required learning outcomes are met. See our 2026–2027 CPD requirements overview for the wider pathway picture.

Compulsory Rules of Conduct learning must still come from a training provider approved by the Strata and Property Services Commissioner. EDUTIVE (Edutive Pty Ltd) is listed among the organisations approved to deliver compulsory learning topics between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027.

Why a “refresher” still matters mid-year

Conduct issues rarely wait for June. Listings go live, offers arrive, referrals are made, and conflicts appear while campaigns are already moving. A refresher topic keeps three practical questions in front of licensed teams:

1. Are we dealing honestly, fairly and professionally with every party — not only the client who pays the fee?
2. Have we handled disclosure so marketing and negotiations do not mislead?
3. Have we screened conflicts of interest early enough to decline or restructure the appointment when required?

Completing the CPD topic does not replace those day-to-day duties. It refreshes the framework you apply when office custom and commercial pressure pull in the wrong direction.

Three CPD themes that show up in practice

Rules of Conduct training is usually organised around the occupational framework for NSW agents. For public guidance, it helps to group that into three themes: professional conduct, disclosure, and conflicts.

1. Professional conduct with all parties

Agency work creates duties to the client, but honesty and fairness also apply when dealing with other parties in the transaction. Practical checkpoints include:

• Keeping legal knowledge current enough to exercise your functions lawfully — old forms and remembered thresholds create risk
• Exercising skill, care and diligence before publishing claims or advising on material particulars
• Following lawful client instructions, and escalating when an instruction would require misleading conduct or an unlawful step
• Distinguishing duties owed to the client from standards that apply in dealings with buyers, sellers on the other side, and other customers

Residential and commercial sales often look different on the ground — consumer buyers versus advised commercial parties — but the starting professional-conduct baseline is still the occupational framework for the functions you are performing.

2. Disclosure and material facts

Disclosure is not a courtesy add-on to a campaign. Conduct themes that commonly arise in CPD and practice include:

• Acting honestly and avoiding misleading or deceptive statements, half-truths, or silence that makes an existing claim misleading
• Identifying when a fact must be disclosed because it falls within a prescribed material-fact category the agent knows or ought reasonably to know
• Separating verified fact, client-supplied information, and opinion — attribution alone does not make an unsupported claim safe
• Correcting marketing and interested parties promptly when circumstances change
• Building inquiry, substantiation, and record-keeping into listing systems so disclosure is not improvised at exchange

Vendor pressure cannot override disclosure that the law requires. If a campaign cannot proceed lawfully, escalate to the Licensee in Charge and pause rather than “softening” the copy.

3. Conflicts of interest

Conflict themes in Rules of Conduct CPD are about protecting client interests and public confidence in the appointment:

• Screen for actual, potential, and perceived conflicts at intake and when circumstances change
• Remember that an actual agent–client conflict is not generally cured by casual disclosure and consent — the safer professional response is often to decline or cease acting
• Watch dual-role and beneficial-interest situations carefully, and use any prescribed forms and timing where a specific statutory process applies
• Disclose non-independent referrals and expected benefits clearly enough that the source of influence is obvious
• Treat gifts and benefits as a conflict and supervision issue, not only a dollar-value checklist

Transparency matters. Transparency alone does not convert a prohibited conflict into lawful conduct.

How teams keep the learning useful after the course

A completed compulsory topic helps with renewal. Agencies still need the learning to return to supervised practice:

• Put Rules of Conduct refresher on the agency training plan where relevant staff are on a pathway that requires it — Licensees-in-charge must have all CPD training detailed in that plan
• Keep short checklists for listing intake, claim substantiation, conflict screening, and referral disclosures
• Brief assistant agents within their authority limits and escalate reserved functions
• Re-check the official CPD page if your area of practice changes mid-year

For how Licensees in Charge tie CPD into supervision habits, see our LIC supervision duties guide. For interactive delivery format rules, see What “interactive” CPD means for NSW property professionals.

How EDUTIVE can help

EDUTIVE is listed among organisations approved to deliver compulsory CPD learning topics for the 2026–2027 year on the NSW CPD page.

Browse the interactive compulsory topic Rules of Conduct refresher (and your other pathway topics) on the CPD Course catalogue when you are ready to enrol. Always confirm your obligations against your licence arrangements and the latest Fair Trading guidance.

Frequently asked questions

Is Rules of Conduct refresher a compulsory CPD topic in 2026–2027?

Yes for two published Real Estate pathways. NSW Fair Trading lists Rules of Conduct refresher among the compulsory topics for residential real estate salespeople and commercial real estate agents. Other pathways have different topic lists — always match training to your licence category and area of practice.

Do buyers agents need Rules of Conduct refresher in 2026–2027?

It is not on the published buyers-agent compulsory list for 2026–2027. Buyers agents have a different set of four topics on the official CPD page. Confirm against your current area of practice before you enrol.

Does completing Rules of Conduct CPD replace day-to-day conduct obligations?

No. Completing the interactive topic helps you stay current on published learning outcomes, but honesty, disclosure, conflict management, and professional conduct still apply on every appointment and campaign.

What practical themes does Rules of Conduct refresher usually cover?

Public explainers commonly group the topic around professional-conduct standards, disclosure and material-fact themes, and conflicts of interest — framed as principles for day-to-day agency practice, not as a substitute for the full compulsory course or legal advice.

Sources

Primary references used for this article:

• Continuing Professional Development requirements

Confirm your obligations against your licence arrangements and the latest Fair Trading guidance before relying on this summary.