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Competition Bureau Expands Investigation of Greater Vancouver Realtors’ Commissions
The Competition Bureau of Canada has obtained a Federal Court order requiring Greater Vancouver Realtors to provide records and information as it expands its investigation into real estate commission rules in Canada.
The order allows the Bureau to gather information from Greater Vancouver Realtors as part of an ongoing probe into whether commission rules involving the organization and the Canadian Real Estate Association may contravene the abuse of dominance or other civil provisions of the Competition Act.
Commission rules determine how real estate agents are paid, who pays them and how those payments must be disclosed on Multiple Listing Service (MLS) systems.
When the investigation began in 2024, the Bureau focused on policies set by the Canadian Real Estate Association, including rules requiring a seller’s agent to offer compensation to a buyer’s agent when a property is listed on an MLS system. Regulators were examining how those policies may affect competition among real estate agents.
The Bureau has now broadened the investigation to examine how Greater Vancouver Realtors enforces those commission rules in the Greater Vancouver market, the federal regulator said.
Officials say additional information is needed to determine whether the rules discourage buyer agents from competing by offering lower commission rates or alternative pricing models, encourage “steering” — the practice of directing buyers toward homes offering higher commissions — or otherwise reduce competition in ways that could increase costs for buyers and sellers.
The investigation remains ongoing and there has been no conclusion of wrongdoing, said the Bureau.
CREA represents real estate agents, boards and provincial and territorial associations. Greater Vancouver Realtors — formerly the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver — represents more than 15,000 real estate professionals across the B.C. Lower Mainland.
The Bureau previously obtained a court order in 2024 related to the investigation into commission practices.
Photo: Greater Vancouver Realtors
