The Real Estate Institute of NSW has hit out at Fair Trading for bureaucratic inefficiencies which they claim are keeping hundreds of fully-trained real estate agents in NSW “forcibly unemployed”.
At present Fair Trading is the ‘gatekeeper’ of a 50-day application process that could be streamlined to be completed in under 48 hours, according to REINSW CEO Tim McKibbin.
This situation is getting worse as the logjam grows daily.
“There are plenty of accredited market operators entirely capable of processing real estate licence applications within one to two business days,” Mr McKibbin said.
“NSW Fair Trading has a clear opportunity to unlock more new jobs, alleviate pressure on itself, and help get the NSW economy moving again.
“There’s no need for the department to be the gatekeeper of this process when others can manage it with significantly greater efficiency.”
Mr McKibbin refered to NSW Fair Trading’s “JobStopper” approach, saying it undoes any good that comes from the government stimulus packages.
“They’ve completed the required training and are prepared to re-enter the workforce,” Mr McKibbin said.
“Perhaps they’ve even secured a job with a real estate business. But they have to wait weeks and even months for their application to be processed.
“It’s ironic that it takes longer for Fair Trading to process an application than it takes for the agent to complete the necessary training course.
“We are not proposing a radical solution. The process could be as simple as registering a car. We have it inspected by a mechanic, they lodge a certificate online, we secure the other necessary documents, and our car is registered.”
Mr McKibbin notes the delays are not a by-product of COVID-19 as “unacceptably long application processing times” were in place well before the pandemic.
“Many people have lost their jobs throughout the pandemic. Industries like tourism and hospitality have been hit hard,” he said.
“Some of these people have taken the initiative to re-skill, recognising that the customer service skills they have can be applied to real estate.
“It’s important to recognise the hold-up has nothing to do with training. Nor is NSW Fair Trading providing any additional quality assurance or value to consumers over the months it takes to process an application.
“It’s simply pointless bureaucracy keeping people from getting to work,” Mr McKibbin stated.
“Thankfully, the solution exists, and it’s easily accessible.”
