Strengthening Confidence in Real Estate Services Discussion Paper

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Ensuring people have confidence when buying or selling a home is vital for keeping British Columbia’s real estate market strong. To support this, BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA) has released a discussion paper, Strengthening Confidence in Real Estate Services, which explores ways to build trust through greater transparency, fairness, and professionalism.

BCFSA is inviting industry members and the public to provide feedback on the ideas presented in the paper, as well as suggestions for other ways BCFSA can continue to promote consumer confidence in the real estate services industry.

The discussion paper builds on key findings from BCFSA’s Enhancing Consumer Protection in British Columbia’s Real Estate Market: Report to the Minister of Finance, published in 2022, and explores potential changes to the Real Estate Services Act Rules to enhance transparency, fairness, and professionalism in B.C. real estate services:

Transparency – proposed approaches include mandatory service agreements with buyer clients, protections when buyers make unconditional offers, requiring agents to obtain strata documents at the time of listing a home for sale, and new information disclosures in multiple offer situations.
Fairness – proposed approaches explore fairness in compensation structures and enabling a broader range of remuneration models.
Professionalism – proposed approaches limit the ability of real estate agents to modify their fundamental agency and fiduciary duties to clients.

How to participate

BCFSA invites feedback from real estate licensees, members of the public, and other interested parties. Responses and comments received during the consultation will be reviewed by BCFSA and will guide decisions on whether to introduce new consumer protection measures.

Please provide your feedback on the potential options outlined in the discussion paper through the online consultation feedback form. The consultation will be open from November 18, 2025, to January 31, 2026.

What comes next

After the consultation period ends, BCFSA will review the feedback and publish a consultation summary report before deciding which proposed approaches to move forward with. BCFSA will undertake further consultation before any changes to the Rules are made.

Your feedback is important to BCFSA. We will treat submissions as confidential records and will not publish individual submissions or attribute content. However, please note that all submissions are subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

By understanding your perspectives and concerns, we can create a more effective and responsive regulatory framework for real estate services in the province.

Additional information

For more information on the consultation, contact engage@bcfsa.ca.

How to Participate

Please provide your feedback on the options outlined in the discussion paper here:

Links

Online Consultation Feedback Form