Australia’s standard for ethical property investment advice.
Property investment advice is unregulated in Australia. Anyone may offer it. PIPA exists to draw the line between advisers who are qualified, accountable and bound by a code of conduct, and everyone else.
2005
Established as the sector’s peak professional body
QPIA®
The recognised benchmark for property investment advisers
6
Accreditation modules, written by sector experts
1
Code of Conduct, binding on every member
Why PIPA exists
The advice is unregulated. The consequences are significant.
A property purchase is the largest financial decision most Australians will ever make. Yet no licence is required to advise on one.
PIPA was founded to close that gap, and has been raising the standard ever since.
Financial planners are licensed. Mortgage brokers are licensed. Real estate agents are licensed. Property investment advice itself sits outside all of it: a person who advises a family to commit hundreds of thousands of dollars to an investment property needs no qualification at all, unless the advice happens to touch a financial product, a credit contract or an agency transaction.
PIPA addresses this gap with two things a consumer can easily check. A formal accreditation, the QPIA®, earned through six assessed modules written by sector experts. And a binding Code of Conduct that every member signs, with a robust complaints process behind it.
The association is run by a volunteer board of practising professionals, and funded by the members who choose to be held to a higher standard than the law requires of them.
Start here
Two ways into PIPA.
Whether you are looking for advice you can trust, or you give that advice for a living.
I am investing in property
Find an adviser who has proven their knowledge and signed up to be accountable for the advice they give.
- Ask PIPA to match you to a QPIA® accredited adviser
- Understand what the accreditation actually tests
- Read the Code of Conduct every member is bound by
- Know the questions to ask before you take advice
I am a property professional
Join the association that sets the standard, and show clients where you stand.
- Use the PIPA member badge and the QPIA® credential
- Appear in the member directory consumers search
- Add your weight to the sector’s advocacy voice
- Attend the Summit, the Awards for Excellence, PIPA Breakfast Seminars, online Webinars and Industry Networking events
QPIA® accreditation
Six modules. One credential the market recognises.
The PIPA Accreditation Program is the recognised benchmark of knowledge and skill for professionals working in property investment. Complete all six modules to apply for QPIA® accreditation, or take individual modules to fill a specific gap.
Module 1: An Introduction to Property Investing
Investing principles, the economy and its cycles, an overview of the legalities, regulatory bodies and the different types of property investment.
$660Buy this module $660Module 2: Legislation and Regulation of Property
The sources of regulation that interact with property: historical common law protections, consumer protection legislation and codes of practice.
$660Buy this module $660Module 3: Property and the Broader Economy
Property as part of the Australian economy: economic history, the sectors that drive it, and the concept of cycles of economic activity.
$660Buy this module $660Module 4: Property as an Investment
Property types, land and building use principles, construction types, and an introduction to the property investment advice process.
$660Buy this module $660Module 5: The Purchase Process and Financing
Property valuation, negotiation, the purchase process through to settlement, borrowing capacity, loan types and ownership structures.
$660Buy this module $660Module 6: Property Advice and the Advice Model
The face-to-face elements of advice: the soft skills that build trust, and the documentation and filing required of a practising QPIA.
$660Buy this module $660Full accreditation program
All six modules, materials available any time$3,300
Individual modules from
Choose the modules that matter to you, from $660 each$660
Advocacy
The investor’s voice in the policy conversation.
Property investors make decisions every day that shape Australia’s housing market. However, their experience is routinely overlooked by policymakers, yet the policy gets made anyway. PIPA fights to bring investor experiences, consequences and decisions back into the conversation, through formal submissions to government and regulators, ongoing reporting of legislative change to members, and an annual Investor Sentiment Survey that has run since 2015.
Investor Sentiment Survey
2026
The 2026 report is out. Investor selling has risen for a third consecutive year, and the rental pool is shrinking with it.
Every report since 2015, including the 2025 report, is available in full on the survey page.
Events
Where the sector meets.
Thursday 15 October 2026, 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm
2026 PIPA Awards for Excellence
22 and 23 June 2027
PIPA National Summit
Join PIPA
Choose your membership
Individual
$395
per year
- Individuals and sole traders
- Up to one category
- One directory listing location
- PIPA member logo
See what is included Ask a question
Additional categories and locations available at additional cost.
Most common for firms
Corporate
$795
from, per year, for up to 10 people
- One membership covering your whole team
- Grows in blocks of five people
- Up to six categories
- Two to ten directory listing locations
See what is included Ask a question
Three levels. Level 1 up to 10 people $795. Level 2 for 11 to 20 people $1,395. Level 3 Unlimited $8,800. Above Level 2, add blocks of five at $330.
QPIA® accredited
$295
per year
- Endorsed on completion of the program
- QPIA® directory category
- QPIA® logo and credential
- Listed on the accredited register
See what is included Ask a question
Available only to those who have completed the PIPA Accreditation Program, and held alongside an individual or corporate membership.
Corporate membership
One membership, priced by the size of your team.
A corporate membership covers your whole firm under one account. There are three levels. Above Level 2 the cover grows in blocks of five people, so a firm pays for the team it actually has rather than jumping a whole band. Every figure below includes GST.
Blocks are sold in fives, so a team of 23 buys one block and has room for 25. Add a block part way through the year and you pay only the remainder of that year.
Level 1, up to 10 people
$795
a year, GST included
Covers up to 10 people, which is $79.50 each.
The three levels
| Level | People covered | A year | Each person |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 1 to 10 people | $795 | $79.50 at 10 people |
| Level 2 | 11 to 20 people | $1,395 | $69.75 at 20 people |
| Level 3 | Unlimited | $8,800 | Falls as the firm grows |
Above Level 2, cover is added in blocks of five people at $330 for each block. From 21 to 130 people a firm buys the blocks it needs. At 131 people, Level 3 Unlimited is the lower price.
Examples above Level 2
| People covered | Membership | A year | Each person |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Level 2 plus 1 block of five | $1,725 | $69.00 |
| 40 | Level 2 plus 4 blocks of five | $2,715 | $67.88 |
| 60 | Level 2 plus 8 blocks of five | $4,035 | $67.25 |
| 100 | Level 2 plus 16 blocks of five | $6,675 | $66.75 |
| 130 | Level 2 plus 22 blocks of five | $8,655 | $66.58 |
| 131 or more | Level 3, Unlimited | $8,800 | Falls as the firm grows |
The QPIA® credential is separate and is held by the individual.
Side by side
Compare the three memberships.
The QPIA credential is held alongside either an individual or corporate membership.
| Individual | Corporate | QPIA® accredited | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $395 | From $795 | $295 |
| How it scales | One person | Three levels, then blocks of five | Follows the base membership |
| Who it is for | Individuals and sole traders | Firms and companies with a team | Advisers who hold the credential |
| Directory categories | Up to one | Up to six | The QPIA category |
| Directory listing locations | One | Two to ten | As per the base membership |
| PIPA member logo | Included | Included | Included |
| QPIA credential and logo | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Listed on the accredited register | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Prerequisite | None | None | Completion of the PIPA Accreditation Program, held alongside an individual or corporate membership |
Fees are annual. Extra directory categories and locations are available at additional cost.The online search directory is still being developed. Until then PIPA matches enquiries to members directly.
Rachel Cole, QPIA®Empower Wealth Advisory“It is great to ease a client’s mind that a QPIA® will always work with the client’s best interests at heart.”
Accreditation strengthens an adviser’s skill set and approach to working with clients. It gives consumers a recognised credential they can look for when choosing an adviser, while giving accredited professionals a trusted designation and logo that helps build client confidence. PIPA has spent more than two decades raising professional standards across the property investment sector.
How accreditation worksOur partners
Hotspotting by Ryder
Platinum partner
Property market research and location analysis
hotspotting.com.au
Image Property
Platinum partner
Property management and sales
imageproperty.com.au
MCG Quantity Surveyors
Gold partner
Quantity surveying and tax depreciation schedules
mcgqs.com.au
Insurance Insights Australia
Gold partner
Insurance broking for property investors
ii-a.com.au
Gameplans
Strategic partner
Financial planning and property strategy
gameplans.com.au
Lawlab
Conveyancing partner
Conveyancing and property law
lawlab.com.auPIPA may receive financial or in-kind support from sponsors. Such sponsorship supports the activities of the association and does not constitute, and must not be represented as constituting, endorsement, approval or recommendation of any sponsor or of any product or service supplied by a sponsor.
Raise the standard, or find someone who already has.
Join PIPA to be held to a professional standard your clients can verify. Or tell the PIPA team what you need and be matched with an accredited adviser.