Property investment advice is unregulated in Australia. Anyone may offer it. That is the gap the QPIA credential exists to close, and it is worth being specific about what the accreditation actually involves.
The PIPA Accreditation Program consists of six assessed modules, written by sector experts. They cover the principles of property investing and the economic cycles that drive it, the legislation and regulation that interacts with property, property as part of the broader Australian economy, property as an investment class, the purchase process and financing, and finally the advice model itself.
That last module is the one that separates the credential from a general property course. It covers the face to face elements of advice: the soft skills that build trust, and the documentation and filing standards required of a practising QPIA.
Why a consumer should care
An independent study commissioned by PIPA found that 96 per cent of property investors would choose an accredited professional over one who is not. That is not surprising. In a sector with no licensing requirement, a tested credential and a binding code of conduct are the only things a consumer can actually check.
