The grace period for Indonesian property brokers ended on 5 October 2026. From that date, any broker marketing houses, shophouses, or land through a brokerage firm must hold a work competency certificate. The rule comes from Trade Minister Regulation (Permendag) No. 33 of 2025, signed by Trade Minister Budi Santoso on 3 October 2025 and in force two days later.
Article 16 of the regulation gave two groups up to one year to comply: brokers without a certificate, and brokerage firms licensed before Government Regulation 28/2025. That deadline landed this week.
The chairman of the Indonesian Real Estate Broker Association (AREBI), Clement Francis, flagged it last year. Under the regulation, he told CNBC Indonesia on 18 November 2025, every marketer must hold a certificate issued under BNSP, the national professional certification board.
For anyone buying a resale house in Bekasi, the useful part is that the rule is checkable. There are numbers a broker must show you, terms that must be in writing, and a commission range. You can ask about all of it before you transfer a single rupiah of booking money.
Who the Rule Covers
Appendix I covers fee-based property brokerage (business code KBLI 68200). The firm is called a P4, short for Pelaku Usaha Jasa Perantaraan Perdagangan Properti, and it must be a legal entity. A property broker is defined as an individual who works for and answers to a P4, holding a level-6 work competency certificate. Every firm also needs at least one certified brokerage manager at level 7.
Two more provisions get little attention. A broker may be registered at only one business location and may not work for another brokerage. A broker who breaks these obligations can be recommended for certificate revocation, with a copy to BNSP.
What about a developer's in-house sales staff selling its own project at a marketing gallery? The standard is written for brokerage firms, so the appendix doesn't spell out where in-house staff stand. AREBI reads it broadly: every marketer needs certification. You don't have to settle that debate. Just ask whoever shows you around two things: who do you work for, and whose account does the booking fee go into?
6 Things to Check Before Paying a Booking Fee
| Ask for | What Permendag 33/2025 requires |
|---|---|
| 1. Broker ID | The P4's business license number, brand, business location, and a valid competency certificate number |
| 2. License number on ads | The P4 license number must appear at the office, on its website and app, and on every printed or electronic promotion |
| 3. The firm's broker list | The P4 must display its list of certified staff at the office and on its website or other media it uses |
| 4. A written agreement | At minimum: the broker's name and certificate number, the property's title number, the commission, the term, and dispute resolution |
| 5. Commission | 2% to 5% of the sale value; 5% to 8% for rentals; itemised, including tax |
| 6. Booking fee | A broker may accept a booking fee or down payment from the buyer only with the seller's consent |
Broker ID and license number
Start with the easy one. Ask to see the broker's ID and write down the certificate number. Match the name and number against the broker list the firm has to display. If you found the listing on a property portal, the same regulation requires the portal to show the P4 license number and the broker's certificate number, and to reject brokers who don't fill them in. A house ad with no firm license number now breaks the rules, which is reason enough to ask more questions.
A written agreement that names the title deed
The regulation requires a written agreement between the P4 and its client. It must describe the property, including its title number, location, specification, and condition. Buyers often skip this. If a broker can't tell you the title certificate number of the house they're selling, they haven't seen the document they're supposed to verify. The appendix lists collecting and verifying property documents to show the buyer as part of the broker's job.
You also need that title number to check with the land office (BPN). A house whose title is blocked or in dispute can't be transferred straight away. We cover how that works in our article on blocked land titles.
Commission of 2% to 5%, itemised down to the tax
For a sale, the P4's commission is at least 2% and at most 5% of the transaction value, depending on the scope of service. On a Rp900 million resale house in North Bekasi, that's Rp18 million to Rp45 million. The agreement must itemise costs, including tax and other deductions.
Who pays depends on the agreement. In practice the seller, who signs the listing agreement, usually covers the commission. If the broker also wants a fee from you as the buyer, get it written into an agreement with you, with the amount and breakdown. The split between firm and broker is capped too: the broker gets at most 70% of the firm's total commission. For the seller's side of the deal, see our article on listing a house with an agent (in Indonesian).
Booking fees paid through a broker
This is where most trouble starts. Appendix I says a broker may accept a booking fee or down payment from the buyer with the consent of the seller or owner. That consent is the condition.
Our advice, which goes beyond the regulation: get the seller's consent in writing, transfer to an account in the P4's company name or straight to the seller (never a personal account), and ask for a receipt showing the P4 license number and the property address. Banks and notaries will ask for that transfer proof later anyway, as we explain in our article on proof of funds.
One rule of thumb: no broker certificate number, no firm license number, and no title number on paper means no booking fee.
What Brokerage Firms Can't Do
The appendix also lists prohibitions. A P4 may not facilitate crowdfunded property financing, may not facilitate money laundering, and may not give false information. It may not offer, advertise, or make promises and guarantees that aren't certain, or make misleading statements. A line like "prices will double once the station opens", said as a sure thing, falls into that category.
On penalties, the appendix is explicit about one: brokers who break their obligations can be recommended for certificate revocation. How enforcement will work now that the grace period is over remains to be seen. New rules tend to get tested in their first few months.
For Buyers in North Bekasi
If you're viewing the Emerald 70 house or the Sapphire shophouse at the Kingspoint cluster on Jl. Raya Perjuangan, ask the same questions. Whoever shows you around, make sure the booking fee goes to an account in the developer's name, Mandiri Development, with an official receipt. For resale homes, the six checks above are enough to separate serious brokers from people forwarding photos in WhatsApp groups. Once you get to haggling, our house price negotiation tips can help.
Frequently asked questions
When did certification become mandatory for property brokers?
Permendag 33/2025 took effect on 5 October 2025. Uncertified brokers had up to one year to comply, so the deadline was 5 October 2026.
How much commission can a property broker charge under the new rule?
For sales, at least 2% and at most 5% of the transaction value. For rentals, 5% to 8%. The cost breakdown, including tax, must be in the written agreement.
Can a broker accept a booking fee from the buyer?
Yes, but only with the seller's or owner's consent. Ask for written proof of that consent and an official receipt before transferring.
What must a broker's ID show?
The brokerage firm's (P4) business license number, brand, business location, and a valid work competency certificate number.
Sources: Trade Minister Regulation No. 33 of 2025 (Articles 16 and 18, and Appendix I standard for KBLI 68200) via the BPK legal database; CNBC Indonesia, 18 November 2025 and 29 May 2026.
Questions about booking a Kingspoint unit?
Ask about the booking-fee process, the developer's official account, and which Emerald 70 houses or Sapphire shophouses on Jl. Raya Perjuangan, North Bekasi, are still available.
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