Unlicensed Real Estate Assistant Duties

Introduction

Unlicensed real estate assistant duties in South Africa are shaped by regulatory requirements, industry practice and agency policies. These assistants play a supporting role in property businesses, helping licensed estate agents manage administrative, marketing and client service tasks, without performing activities that require legal registration or a fidelity fund certificate. A clear understanding of unlicensed real estate assistant duties is essential for compliance with the Property Practitioners Act and for maintaining professional standards within estate agencies.

About the Organisation

Duties is referenced through the website https://www.duties.co.za/. Based on publicly accessible information, Duties appears to be a South African online platform focused on providing information about job roles, responsibilities and duties across various occupations and sectors. The site seems to present structured descriptions of positions, tasks and functions that employees or contractors may perform in different industries.

Detailed ownership information, company registration details, physical address, management team, and corporate history for Duties are not clearly stated on publicly available pages. Therefore, beyond its apparent function as an informational resource on job-related duties, further organisational information is not publicly available.

Services, Responsibilities and Duties of an Unlicensed Real Estate Assistant

Unlicensed real estate assistant duties are largely administrative and supportive. The key principle is that they may not perform functions that, in South Africa, require registration as a property practitioner or holding a valid Fidelity Fund Certificate from the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority (PPRA), previously known as the Estate Agency Affairs Board (EAAB). The exact internal job description may differ between agencies, but common, publicly referenced responsibilities can be grouped as follows.

Administrative Support

Unlicensed real estate assistants typically handle routine office and document administration that does not constitute practising as an estate agent.

Typical administrative duties include:

Preparing, formatting and organising documentation such as listing files, offer documentation and correspondence, strictly under the instruction of a licensed agent.
Maintaining and updating internal filing systems, whether digital or physical, for property records, marketing materials and compliance documents.
Booking appointments, diary management and scheduling meetings, viewings and inspections on behalf of licensed practitioners.
Capturing and maintaining data in customer relationship management (CRM) systems, including client information, property details and follow-up reminders.
Managing general office tasks such as answering telephones, routing calls, taking messages, handling basic enquiries and managing stationery or office supplies.

These duties support agents but do not involve independently negotiating, concluding or presenting property transactions.

Marketing and Listing Support

Unlicensed assistants often provide marketing support, provided they do not misrepresent themselves as licensed agents or independently conclude deals.

Common marketing-related duties include:

Preparing online listings using information, descriptions and instructions provided by the licensed agent.
Uploading photographs, floor plans and descriptions to property portals, agency websites and social media, under supervision.
Co-ordinating the production of marketing materials such as brochures, pamphlets and window displays, using content authorised by the agent or agency.
Scheduling and helping organise show days or open houses, including signage, access arrangements and basic on-site logistics, where the licensed agent retains responsibility for client advice and negotiations.
Assisting with database marketing activities such as sending newsletters, email campaigns or SMS notifications, using content approved by management.

Care must be taken that any marketing output clearly identifies the licensed practitioner responsible for the listing or transaction.

Client Service and Communication Support

Unlicensed real estate assistants frequently serve as a first point of contact for routine communication, while ensuring that substantive property advice and negotiations are handled by licensed agents.

Typical client service duties include:

Handling initial telephone or email enquiries about listed properties to provide factual information such as address, asking price and viewing times, without giving professional advice or negotiating terms.
Confirming or re-scheduling viewing appointments, show days and follow-up meetings on behalf of the agent.
Providing status updates of an administrative nature, for example whether documents have been received, whether an application has been logged, or whether a meeting has been set.
Relaying messages between buyers, sellers, tenants, landlords and the licensed agent, without independently providing guidance on price, offers, counter-offers or contractual terms.

All discussions that can influence a transaction, such as advising on property value, conditions, contractual implications or negotiation strategy, must be handled by a licensed property practitioner.

Transaction and Documentation Support

In many agencies, unlicensed assistants support the transaction process in a clerical capacity. The key limitation is that they may not interpret, advise on or independently conclude contracts.

Duties in this area may include:

Capturing information from standard forms or from instructions given by the licensed agent into agency templates or software.
Checking that documents such as identity copies, proof of address and basic forms have been provided, and flagging any missing items to the responsible agent.
Liaising with third-party service providers, such as bond originators, attorneys or inspectors, for administrative follow-up, for example confirming receipt of documents or appointment times.
Maintaining transaction checklists so the agent can monitor which administrative steps have been completed.

The preparation of agreements of sale, mandates or lease contracts that requires interpretation, drafting, negotiation or explanation to clients remains the responsibility of licensed practitioners.

Financial and Record-Keeping Support

Unlicensed real estate assistants may assist with bookkeeping-related tasks that support agency operations, under the oversight of management or finance staff.

Common duties include:

Capturing invoice information or basic financial data as directed by the responsible person.
Preparing internal summaries or reports reflecting listing activity, advertising spend or transaction status, using data supplied by agency systems.
Assisting with the maintenance of general records that support compliance, such as proof of advertising and internal checklists, without managing trust accounts or receiving commission on transactions.

Handling trust monies, commission calculations linked to broking activities or any function that might fall within the regulated scope of a property practitioner needs careful consideration in terms of regulation and agency policy.

Functions Typically Not Permitted for Unlicensed Assistants

While individual agency policies may express these limits differently, certain activities are widely regarded as beyond the permissible scope for unlicensed real estate assistants in South Africa. These functions generally require registration as a property practitioner:

Advising clients on market value, pricing strategies or making formal property valuations.
Negotiating terms of sale or lease, including price, occupation date, conditions and special clauses.
Signing mandates, offers to purchase, lease agreements or other transaction documents on behalf of the agency or client, unless expressly authorised under a separate, lawful mandate unrelated to property practitioner services.
Holding themselves out to the public as estate agents, property practitioners or professional advisers on property transactions.
Receiving commission or fees directly that relate to the negotiation or conclusion of property transactions, except where regulations expressly allow and the person is properly registered.

The Property Practitioners Act and guidelines of the PPRA determine which activities fall within the definition of a property practitioner. Agencies typically design unlicensed real estate assistant duties to stay clearly outside this definition.

Location and Industry Context

The concept of unlicensed real estate assistant duties is directly relevant to the South African property industry, where estate agency work is regulated. The Property Practitioners Act, which replaced the Estate Agency Affairs Act, establishes rules for who must register as a property practitioner, obtain a Fidelity Fund Certificate, and comply with education and conduct standards.

South African estate agencies often operate in competitive urban markets such as Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban and other growing centres, as well as secondary towns and rural areas. In this environment, licensed agents depend on support staff to maintain service levels, manage administrative workloads and sustain consistent marketing activity.

Given the regulatory requirements, agencies typically classify support roles carefully:

Positions that involve direct property broking, client advice or negotiations are generally filled by registered property practitioners.
Support positions like unlicensed real estate assistants focus on back-office administration, marketing logistics and basic client communication, with clear boundaries to avoid regulatory breaches.

Industry bodies, training providers and legal practitioners often emphasise the importance of clear job descriptions and internal policies to ensure that unlicensed assistants do not inadvertently perform regulated activities.

Contact Information

Specific contact information for Duties, including telephone numbers, email addresses or physical office locations, is not clearly and verifiably available from publicly accessible and reliable sources. As a result, contact information is not publicly available.

For information about regulatory requirements for property practitioners and related roles in South Africa, readers would typically refer to the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority (PPRA) via its official channels. However, exact contact details are not provided here, in line with the requirement not to state unverified contact information.

Conclusion

Unlicensed real estate assistant duties in South Africa centre on administrative, marketing and basic client service support, carefully limited to avoid activities that require registration as a property practitioner. These assistants help maintain documentation, schedule appointments, manage marketing logistics and support transaction processes, while licensed agents remain responsible for professional advice, negotiation and contract-related functions.

Within the broader regulatory environment defined by the Property Practitioners Act and overseen by the PPRA, clearly defined duties for unlicensed assistants help estate agencies operate efficiently while complying with legal requirements. Platforms such as Duties appear to offer structured information on job roles and responsibilities, but detailed organisational and contact information for Duties is not publicly available.