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The Minister for Justice and Equality, Mr Alan Shatter TD, today announced he was seeking expressions of interest from suitably qualified members of the public to apply to be considered for appointment as members of the Property Services Regulatory Authority.

The Property Services (Regulation) Bill 2009 provides for the establishment of the Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRA). It is expected that the Authority, which has up until now operated on a non-statutory basis, will operate as a statutory body from early 2012.

The main functions of the Authority will be as follows:

· the licensing of property service providers;

· the provision of redress mechanisms concerning complaints against auctioneers, estate agents and property management agents;

· the setting of other property related standards;

· the publication of residential property sales prices; and　

· the establishment and maintenance of a public database containing

relevant details of letting arrangements and rent reviews in the commercial property market.

The Minister stated: "The establishing of the Property Services Regulatory Authority on a statutory basis will give confidence to the clients of property services providers and, at the same time, set service standards which will reflect well on auctioneers, estate agents and property management agents throughout the country".

Further details on eligibility criteria and how to apply are available on the websites of the Department of Justice and Equality www.justice.ie and the Property Services Regulatory Authority www.psr.ie The details are also available on the Public Appointments Service website, www.publicjobs.ie