Real Estate Agency Cyber Security Health Check
Real estate agencies are at the centre of Australia's biggest cyber fraud epidemic: settlement scams.
Settlement fraud has cost Australians hundreds of millions of dollars.
The scam is brutally simple: criminals compromise an email account in the property transaction chain—agent, solicitor, or buyer—then send fraudulent payment instructions with altered bank details. Deposits and settlement funds vanish. The average loss is over $100,000. Agencies have been named in lawsuits, lost their licences, and seen their reputations destroyed.
Your trust account makes you a target. Real estate trust accounts hold millions in deposits, rent, and bond money. Criminals monitor compromised email accounts for months, waiting for the right transaction. One successful fraud can wipe out your trust account—and your business with it.
Fair Trading, your auditor, and the Privacy Act have real consequences.
Fair Trading offices across Australia are increasingly focused on cyber security as part of trust account compliance. Your annual audit now examines controls around electronic transfers. A breach that could have been prevented by basic security measures puts your licence at risk—and can result in personal liability for principals. The Privacy Act adds penalties up to $50 million for failing to protect the personal information you collect.
You handle some of the most sensitive personal information imaginable.
Driver's licences, passports, financial statements, employment records—all routinely collected for tenant applications and sales. This is identity theft gold. One breach exposes hundreds of people to fraud. The Privacy Act requires you to protect this information—and notify everyone affected if you fail.
Rental scams damage your reputation even when you're the victim.
Criminals scrape listings from your website, create fake ads, and steal bond money from unsuspecting tenants. When those tenants turn up at your office demanding answers, it's your agency's name attached to the fraud. Can you demonstrate you've taken steps to protect your listings and brand?
This health check is built specifically for real estate agencies.
Plain-English questions covering trust account security, settlement fraud prevention, property management systems, tenant application data, email security, and verification procedures. No technical jargon—designed so any principal or office manager can complete it and understand the results.
What you get:
What You Receive
Every assessment generates a comprehensive report. Download a sample below.
Summary Report
Plain-English findings with scores, prioritised improvement plan, risk associations, and resources
Download SampleComplete it in about 60 minutes. No technical knowledge required. Your data never leaves your device.
Who is this for?
Principals, licensees, and office managers of real estate agencies. Whether you focus on sales, property management, or both—if you handle trust money, tenant data, or settlement transactions, this health check is designed for you.
Your Assessment Includes a Personal AI Security Advisor
Two AI assistants are built into the tool — one to help you during the assessment, one to help you make sense of your results. Like having a security professional on call.
Not sure what a question is asking? Just ask.
Every question in the assessment has an AI helper built in. Tap it and ask anything — "What does this question actually mean?", "Can you give me an example?", "Why does this matter for my business?" — and you'll get a plain-English explanation instantly.
- ✓ Explains technical concepts in everyday language
- ✓ Gives real-world examples relevant to your industry
- ✓ Never suggests how to answer — just helps you understand
- ✓ No technical background required to complete the assessment
Your Personal Security Advisor — available the moment you see your results.
Once your results are in, an AI security advisor has your full assessment in front of it and is ready to answer any question about what it means — in plain English, as if you're talking to a security professional.
- ✓ "Explain my highest risk gap in simple terms"
- ✓ "Walk me through how to fix action #3"
- ✓ "Which gaps are easiest to fix myself?"
- ✓ Ask anything — your advisor knows your specific results
No consultants. No jargon. No guesswork.
For the first time, small businesses get the same quality of guidance that used to cost hundreds of dollars an hour — built directly into the assessment.
Common Questions
Why are real estate agencies targeted by cyber criminals?
Real estate agents hold trust account funds, client financial and personal information, and manage high-value property transactions — all of which attract criminals. Business email compromise attacks on property transactions have resulted in significant losses when settlement funds are redirected to fraudulent accounts. Rental application data — including payslips, bank statements, and ID documents — is also a rich source of identity theft material.
What regulatory obligations apply to real estate agencies?
Fair Trading legislation in each state and territory requires agents to maintain accurate records and protect trust account funds. Trust account auditors assess the controls around financial transactions. The Privacy Act 1988 applies to agencies collecting personal information from buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants. PI insurers assess cyber risk, and inadequate controls can affect coverage for claims arising from cyber incidents.
What does the Real Estate Agency Health Check cover?
The health check covers trust account system security, property management software access controls, email security against business email compromise, rental application document handling, staff access management, remote and mobile device security, client communication security, and incident response planning tailored to real estate agency risks.
What do I receive after completing the health check?
You receive a professional Word report with an overall security score and prioritised recommendations. The report is tailored to real estate agency risks and is suitable for sharing with your principal, trust account auditor, PI insurer, or keeping on file as evidence of reasonable steps to protect client information and funds.
Further Reading
Resource
Cyber Security for Real Estate Agencies
Why real estate agencies face trust account fraud and BEC attacks on settlements, what Fair Trading requires, and the controls that protect client funds and data.
Read the guide