Advice that puts the client first — every time.
PIAA exists to set the standard for property investment advice in Australia and to educate the advisors who follow it. Our focus is the process — the client's best interests, the evidence behind every recommendation, and the structured plan that ties them together. Software is simply how that process gets delivered.
A not-for-profit professional association supporting property investment advisors since 2002.
PIAA is funded by its members and accountable to them. We don't sell property and we don't take referral fees. What we do is define what good advice looks like, train advisors to deliver it, and uphold a standard that clients can trust. Everything on this page — including any tool we discuss — is in service of that.
What compliant property investment advice looks like
Three principles sit underneath every piece of advice a PIAA-trained advisor produces — the bar clients should be able to expect when they pay for advice.
Client's best interests
Advice starts with the client's situation, goals, and risk tolerance — not with a property the advisor would like to sell. Recommendations are judged against whether they leave the client better off, full stop.
Evidence behind every claim
Market views, growth assumptions, and cash-flow projections are supported by independent data the advisor can show the client. Opinions are labelled as opinions; numbers are sourced.
A structured, written plan
Advice is documented in a Property Investment Evaluation Plan (PIEP) so the client can review it, question it, and hold the advisor to it — before any decision is made and long after.
The PIEP approach
The Property Investment Evaluation Plan is the structured document a compliant advisor produces. It is delivered in two parts so the strategy can be agreed before any property is selected.
PIEP 1 — Strategy
Understanding the client and what's possible
- Capture the client's financial position, goals, and tolerance for risk
- Model affordability, lending capacity, and the role property plays in the broader plan
- Agree the investment strategy in writing — before any property is on the table
PIEP 2 — Implementation
Selecting and validating the specific property
- Identify property options that fit the agreed strategy
- Evidence each candidate with independent market and economic data
- Document the recommendation, the reasoning, and the alternatives considered
Splitting strategy from implementation is the single most important structural safeguard against advice that starts with a property and works backwards.
How a compliant advisor actually works
The PIEP is a deliverable. The work that produces it follows a predictable rhythm — one the client can see, follow, and challenge at any point.
- 01
Discovery
Sit with the client. Document their position, goals, dependants, time horizon, and what they're afraid of.
- 02
Strategy (PIEP 1)
Model what is and isn't feasible. Agree the strategy in writing. If property is not the right answer, say so.
- 03
Research & validation
Pull independent market, economic, and demographic data. Test candidate properties against the strategy.
- 04
Recommendation (PIEP 2)
Deliver the written recommendation. Walk the client through reasoning and alternatives. The decision rests with them.
Tools that support the standard
The PIAA standard describes the process and the evidence required — not the software used to produce it. Any platform that lets an advisor capture the client's situation, evidence their analysis, and produce a compliant PIEP can, in principle, support the standard. We expect more such tools to emerge over time.
Currently available
PIERS — the only tool ready and available today
PIERS is the property investment evaluation platform built by PIERSTECH. It is currently the only production-ready tool that supports the full PIAA advice process end-to-end — from PIEP 1 strategy work through evidence gathering and PIEP 2 delivery. If you are a PIAA advisor producing compliant advice today, PIERS is what you can use today.
Disclosure
PIAA has a commercial relationship with PIERSTECH, which owns and operates the PIERS platform. We disclose this plainly because PIERS is the tool we currently point advisors to. Our purpose remains supporting clients' best interests and educating advisors — not mandating a product. As other platforms meet the standard, advisors will be free to use them.
Demo provided by PIERSTECH for PIAA subscribers.
Learn the PIAA Process & Master Property Investment
Whether you're starting your career or advancing your expertise, our comprehensive education programs will help you become a confident, compliant property investment advisor.
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Read GuideLearn the process. Then choose your tool.
PIAA associate membership gives advisors access to the training, standards, and ongoing education that sit behind every compliant PIEP. The process is the work; the software follows.