Watch the Episode on Youtube. Click here.

This week on The Property Couch, we’re not sitting down with Ben Kingsley, co-host of The Property Couch, but…

Ben Kingsley, Chair of the Property Investors Council of Australia (PICA)!

And he’s here with a serious warning.

As the peak body representing everyday property investors, advocating for consumer protection, ethical practices, and a sustainable rental market, PICA recently wrote to every major trade association across Australia, from the Real Estate Institutes to leading mortgage broker bodies.

 

In it, PICA is calling out the rise of:

  • Get-rich-quick advertising 🎯
  • Unlicensed financial advice in Trusts & SMSFs 📑
  • Buyer’s Agents behaving badly 🏚️
  • Short-term speculation threatening housing affordability 💥
  • Lack of transparency with hidden fees & kickbacks 💸

Why? Because these behaviours don’t just risk burning everyday investors… they risk damaging the reputation of the entire property industry and could trigger over-regulation that hurts us all.

🎧 Tune in for a must-listen conversation about protecting consumers, safeguarding our rental market, and keeping property investment sustainable for the long term.

 

P.S. Summer Series 2026: We Want YOUR Story! 🏝️☀️
This Summer, we’re flipping the script. Not just the wins, but the lessons. Not just the highlights, but the hurdles. Have you had a silver bullet strategy that backfired or a game-changing moment that set you on the right path? We want to hear it!
🎤👉 Share your story and you could be featured on our 2026 Summer Series!

Resources Mentioned: 

Timestamps  

  • 0:00 – 563 | Property Crash: The Surefire Way to Collapse the Market
  • 2:15 – This Week It’s Different: Ben as Chair of PICA
  • 4:20 – Why PICA Wrote to Every Major Trade Association
  • 6:40 – The Media Response Across the Industry
  • 9:10 – Animal Spirits in Property Explained
  • 12:05 – What’s at Risk if We Get It Wrong
  • 14:30 – Why 30% Investors and 70% Owners Keeps Balance
  • 18:50 – Case Study: Gladstone Mining Boom and Bust
  • 22:40 – Area #1: The Danger of Get-Rich-Quick Advertising
  • 28:15 – GameStop and the Voting vs. Weighing Machine
  • 32:40 – Regulatory Guides 36 & 175 on Advice
  • 35:00 – The Heavy Penalties for Unlicensed Advice
  • 37:25 – Area #2: Unlicensed Advice in Trusts & SMSFs
  • 43:50 – Area #3: Buyer’s Agents Behaving Badly
  • 46:20 – Case Study: The $670K Lemon Property
  • 49:30 – Area #4: Short-Term Speculation Risks
  • 55:20 – Area #5: Transparency and Conflicted Remuneration
  • 1:01:00 – Why PICA Is Sounding the Alarm Now
  • 1:06:15 – Final Takeaways on Protecting Investors and Markets