Anyone selling property services in Jamaica is supposed to be licensed through the Real Estate Board, which has served as the Competent Authority for the industry since the Proceeds of Crime real estate dealers order took effect in 2013, with responsibility for training, monitoring and anti-money-laundering compliance across the sector. In practice, licensing is not always checked before a buyer hands over money or signs a listing agreement.
The Boards oversight exists for reasons beyond simple professionalism. A licensed dealer has completed required training, operates under compliance obligations tied to Jamaicas anti-money-laundering framework, and carries accountability a buyer or seller can actually appeal to if something goes wrong in a transaction. An unlicensed operator offers none of those protections, even if the deal they arrange closes without incident.
The practical check is simple and takes a few minutes: before signing anything or transferring a deposit, a buyer or seller can confirm directly with the Real Estate Board that an agent or firm is currently licensed, rather than relying on a business card, a listing website, or a confident sales pitch. The same caution applies to any request for money before a viewing or before a contract is signed, a pattern that has separately been flagged by police as a common fraud technique targeting people under time pressure to find housing.
None of this is meant to suggest the Jamaican real estate market is unusually risky. It means the protections that exist, licensing, training, an accountable regulator, only actually protect a buyer or seller who checks for them before money changes hands, not after.
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