Guide
AML requirements for real estate agents (2026)
Last updated 8 September 2026
From 1 July 2026, real estate selling and buyer's agents are regulated under AUSTRAC Tranche 2 when they help clients buy, sell or transfer real estate. You must enrol, build an AML/CTF program, verify your customers, report when required, train staff and keep records for seven years.
What a real estate agency must do
- Enrol with AUSTRAC by your deadline.
- Adopt AUSTRAC's real estate starter kit and complete your risk assessment.
- Verify buyers and sellers, and screen them against sanctions and PEP lists.
- Report suspicious matters and threshold transactions, train your staff, and keep records for seven years.
Who is in scope
Selling agents and buyer's agents are in scope when they broker the sale, purchase or transfer of real estate, at agencies of any size. Property developers selling their own stock are handled differently and may be better served by a consultant.
Senly AML runs AUSTRAC's real estate starter kit end to end, so a small agency can meet the same obligations as a large one.
Questions, answered.
- Are real estate agents regulated under Tranche 2?
- Yes. From 1 July 2026, selling and buyer's agents are regulated when they help clients buy, sell or transfer real estate.
- When do I need to verify a client?
- You carry out customer due diligence before you provide the designated service, and keep it current through the relationship.
- Do small agencies have to comply?
- Yes. Agencies of any size are in scope, including two-person offices. The obligations are the same; software makes them manageable.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. The official source is austrac.gov.au.