Printed . This content is updated regularly, please refer back to https://bcfsa.ca to ensure that you are relying on the most up-to-date resources.
Anonymous Tipline FAQ
Questions about BCFSA’s Anonymous Tipline for reporting concerns about a real estate professional or transaction?
Check the information below for brief answers to many common queries.
Tips: BCFSA’s Anonymous Tipline gives members of the public and real estate professionals the opportunity to let us know about suspicious activities, while protecting their identities. Because no names are provided, we will not be able to follow up with you. That means that if your tip does not include enough information, we may not be able to investigate.
Complaints: BCFSA has an obligation to open an investigation file for every complaint we receive. We will contact you to acknowledge that we have received your complaint and we may follow up to request more information or key documents. Our investigations are confidential, unless and until a hearing is called into the matter. Learn more about making a complaint.
Calls to BCFSA’s Anonymous Tipline will not be answered and you will be required to leave a detailed message. There is no caller ID to identify the call. You will not be required to provide your name.
You are required to provide your detailed report. Please read the Make an Anonymous Real Estate Complaint page to learn about what information to include in your report.
If your tip includes sufficient evidence of misconduct, we may initiate an investigation.
BCFSA will review the information and take appropriate action. If your tip includes sufficient evidence of misconduct, we can initiate an investigation.
No. BCFSA does not provide any feedback and/or updates on tips received through the Anonymous Tipline, or subsequent actions taken. BCFSA’s investigations are confidential.
For more information about the services to expect from a licensed real estate professional, and about the rules and legislation that regulates the practices of real estate professionals in B.C., contact BCFSA’s Practice Standards Advisors.
No. The Anonymous Tipline does not pay for information received from informants.
BCFSA only accepts anonymous tips through our Anonymous Tipline. Please do not include any of your contact information in your tip.
BCFSA’s investigations are confidential, and until and unless a hearing is called into a matter, we may not speak publicly about the progress or details of an investigation, or confirm or deny that an investigation is underway.
If you were a party to a transaction in which the alleged misconduct occurred, and BCFSA launches an investigation as a result of your information, it is possible that you may be contacted as part of BCFSA’s investigation. While you do not need to reveal to a BCFSA investigator that you submitted an anonymous tip related to the transaction, you should be prepared to respond to potential requests for information.
Tips submitted through the Anonymous Tipline are anonymous and therefore BCFSA cannot reveal your identity. However, be aware that in some cases, due to the nature of real estate transactions and the limited numbers of parties involved, if BCFSA launches an investigation, other parties to the transaction may deduce who submitted the tip.
BCFSA accepts information to the Anonymous Tipline through our dedicated toll-free hotline at (833) 404-0647 and through our secure online form.
You may also send us an anonymous tip by regular mail (please do not include a return address). In order to preserve your anonymity, we do not accept tips by email or social media.
BCFSA reviews each tip to determine if there is sufficient evidence of misconduct to initiate an investigation. The length of time required for an investigation and a disciplinary process will depend on the complexity of the matter, and the number of parties involved. BCFSA investigations are confidential.