Property Funding Professionals of Australia (PIPA) has condemned inexperienced and untrained “fake” advisers who’re falsely claiming to have accomplished extra specialist recommendation coaching or are members of trade our bodies, resembling PIPA.
PIPA Chair Nicola McDougall (pictured above) stated a rising variety of individuals have been claiming to be certified property funding advisers (QPIA) or PIPA members after they weren’t.
“Little question these individuals are attempting to legitimise their companies or falsely enhance their academic achievements by claiming they’re members or QPIAs,” McDougall stated. “Nevertheless, PIPA quickly instructs these individuals to take away these references instantly as a result of it’s an offence beneath Australian Shopper Regulation to make false and deceptive claims about your companies resembling misrepresenting your self as a member of an trade affiliation when you find yourself not.”
McDougall careworn the significance of checking the credentials of property funding advisers, no matter market situations, to make sure they’ve the suitable abilities, expertise, and coaching.
“Sadly, throughout market booms, we do at all times see an inflow of recent entrants into the property funding recommendation area – lots of whom are merely chasing a fast buck given there isn’t a nationwide regulation in our sector,” she stated. “Some full a tick-and-flick course and mechanically begin calling themselves ‘consumers’ advocates’ when they might have by no means even purchased a property earlier than, not to mention perceive the intricacies of tailor-made and unbiased property funding recommendation.”
The PIPA Accreditation Program and QPIA post-nominal have been developed by PIPA to function an trade benchmark of data and abilities for particular person traders and professionals in industries concerned with property funding.
McDougall urged traders to test the official standing of credentials of advisers through PIPA or aligned trade associations such because the Actual Property Patrons’ Agent Affiliation of Australia (REBAA).
Somebody who’s utilizing the QPIA put up nominal ought to:
- have efficiently accomplished the PIPA Accreditation Program
- have the ability to display not less than two years of relative trade expertise i.e., actual property and related companies, finance, or mortgage companies, and many others.
- preserve full particular person or company membership of PIPA or be gainfully employed by a member firm
- have undertaken the QPIA Persevering with Skilled Growth Program
- have registered their QPIA standing with PIPA, renewing yearly
To test whether or not an adviser is a PIPA member or a QPIA, traders can go to the PIPA web site.
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