FFC (Fidelity Fund Certificate)
The FFC is the annual licence issued by the PPRA that allows a practitioner or firm to operate legally in South African property.
A Fidelity Fund Certificate (FFC) is the licence that authorises an individual or firm to operate as a property practitioner in South Africa. It is issued by the PPRA and must be renewed every calendar year.
Who needs an FFC
- Every individual property practitioner (full-status and candidate)
- Every firm (including sole proprietors, partnerships, and companies)
- Every branch of a multi-branch agency
- Bond originators, business brokers, and property managers covered by the Act
How to qualify
To be issued an FFC a practitioner must hold the required NQF qualification (NQF Level 4 for candidates, NQF Level 5 for full-status practitioners), be tax-compliant, have submitted required CPD activity, and have no disqualifying convictions or judgments. The firm must also have a compliant trust account audit on file.
Operating without an FFC
Operating without a valid FFC is a criminal offence under the Property Practitioners Act. A practitioner without an FFC cannot lawfully claim commission, and a contract for commission may be unenforceable. This is why agencies need a system that tracks FFC validity per practitioner and warns ahead of expiry.
How REAPS handles this
In REAPS, FFC numbers and expiry dates are first-class fields on the practitioner record. The system surfaces upcoming expiries so admin teams can renew in time, and prevents commission allocation to a practitioner whose FFC has lapsed.
Last reviewed: 2026-04-14. Always check the latest PPRA and FIC guidance for definitive interpretation.