It has recently been brought to the attention of the Estate Agents Authority that some practitioners in the trade are giving out business cards which do not bear the full names of the persons concerned. These cards feature only vague references such as "Miss Chan", "Mrs Li" or "Mr Wong". In some cases, the names on the business cards are entirely different from those indicated in the licences of the bearers of such cards.

Under s.55(2)(a) of the Estate Agents Ordinance, a licensed estate agent or salesperson who, without reasonable excuse, uses any name other than the name specified in his licence in connection with an estate agency business, commits an offence. The offence may result in a fine and/or imprisonment.

To ensure that the above requirement is complied with, practitioners are advised to print their names as indicated in their licences on their business cards. Aliases may be printed after the names in parentheses.

Under s.5 of the Estate Agents Practice (General Duties and Hong Kong Residential Properties) Regulation, a practitioner shall inform his clients of his licence number. It is also advisable for practitioners to print their licence numbers on their business cards.