Texas Register

TITLE 22 EXAMINING BOARDS
PART 23TEXAS REAL ESTATE COMMISSION
CHAPTER 535GENERAL PROVISIONS
SUBCHAPTER NSUSPENSION AND REVOCATION OF LICENSURE
RULE §535.147Splitting Fee with Unlicensed Person
ISSUE 08/25/2023
ACTION Proposed
Preamble Texas Admin Code Rule

(a)Except as otherwise provided by the Act or Commission rules, a broker or sales agent may not share a commission or fees with any person who engages in acts for which a license is required and is not actively licensed as a broker or sales agent.

(b)An unlicensed person may share in the income earned by a business entity licensed as a broker or exempted from the licensing requirements under the Act if the person engages in no acts for which a license is required and does not lead the public to believe that the person is in the real estate brokerage business.

(c)A broker or sales agent may not share a commission or fees with an unlicensed business entity created by a license holder for the purpose of collecting a commission or fees on behalf of the license holder, unless the entity is exempted from the requirements of licensure as provided by §535.5 of this chapter (relating to License Not Required) and §1101.355(d) of the Act.

(d)A license holder may rebate or pay a portion of the license holder's fee or commission to a party in the transaction when the sales agent has the written consent of the sales agent's sponsoring broker and the party represented by the license holder. A commission or fee may not be paid to any party to the transaction in a manner that misleads a broker, lender, title company, or governmental agency regarding the real estate transaction or the financial resources or obligations of the buyer. A license holder who intends to pay a portion of the license holder's fee or commission to a party the license holder does not represent must obtain the written consent of the party represented by the license holder before making the payment.

The agency certifies that legal counsel has reviewed the proposal and found it to be within the state agency's legal authority to adopt.

Filed with the Office of the Secretary of State on August 9, 2023

TRD-202302894

Vanessa E. Burgess

General Counsel

Texas Real Estate Commission

Earliest possible date of adoption: September 24, 2023

For further information, please call: (512) 936-3284



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