Real estate advertising rules in Victoria for agents
What the Estate Agents Act 1980 says Victorian ads must show, the new registration and price rules for 2026, and what that means for your card and website.
In Tasmania, property agents are governed by the Property Agents and Land Transactions Act 2016, the Property Agents Board’s Code of Conduct, and the Australian Consumer Law. The Property Agents Board is the regulator. Your website, digital card, email signature and social posts all count as advertising.
Tasmania is one of the few places where the rules mention social media by name. This page sets out what the Act and the Code say, with links to the sources. It’s part of our guide to advertising rules in every state and territory.
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, and your licensee may have its own requirements. Check with your licensee or the Property Agents Board before you publish.
What an ad must show
Section 54 of the Property Agents and Land Transactions Act 2016 says:
A real estate agent must ensure that advertisements published in connection with the agent’s real estate agency business contain the real estate agent’s name and the address of the agent’s authorised place of business.
The Act’s definition of “publish” includes publication on the internet, so this covers your website and online ads.
The Board’s Code of Conduct (version 4, in effect from 1 January 2022) goes further. It says advertising or promotional material, “including any material in any social media post or advertisement”, must include a clearly legible statement of the name and address of the business the property agent is licensed under.
Your licence number. We didn’t find a requirement to show it.
Protected titles
The Code lists “real estate agent”, “property manager”, “general auctioneer” and “property representative” as protected titles, and says a property agent must not refer to themselves using a protected title, or a name, that isn’t shown on their licence.
Section 38 of the Act also says a person must not hold themselves out as a property representative unless they are one.
In practice, use the title and name on your licence, everywhere.
Social media
The Board publishes social media guidelines for agents. They give the example that a Facebook page named “John Smith Property” implies John Smith owns his own agency, and say agents should advertise in their own name and clearly state the agency that employs them, with its name and address. The guidelines also give using a client’s feedback as a testimonial without their consent as an example of a breach.
The guidelines refer to sections of an older Act that has since been replaced, so read them alongside the current Act and Code.
Other rules worth knowing
- Nothing false or misleading. Section 56(1) says a property agent must not represent anything false or misleading about the letting or sale of property.
- Advertise only at the authorised price. The Code says you must not advertise a price higher or lower than the client authorised, unless the client consents in writing.
- Interests in property. Section 49 restricts agents and their staff from acquiring an interest in property they’ve been instructed to sell, except with the owner’s prior written approval.
Business cards, websites and social media
Because the Code names social media posts, Tasmania’s rules reach further online than most states’. A sensible approach:
- Show the agency’s name and address on every page, profile, post and card.
- Use only the title and name shown on your licence.
- Don’t name a social page or website in a way that suggests you own the agency if you don’t.
- Get the client’s consent before using their feedback as a testimonial.
- When you change agencies, update everything the same day. See our changing agencies checklist.
Our free email signature generator lays these details out for you, and on a Real Agent Marketing website the footer of every page names your agency as the licensee, with its office address.
Sources
- Property Agents and Land Transactions Act 2016, version current from 1 July 2025: sections 38, 49, 54 and 56.
- Property Agents Board, Code of Conduct version 4, and guidelines and advice notes, including the social media guidelines.
Based on the legislation and the Board’s publications as we read them in October 2026. This isn’t legal advice and doesn’t cover every rule that applies to you.
