Competition Bureau Expands Real Estate Commission Rules Investigation

Competition Bureau Canada

Filed February 20th, 2026

Detected February 21st, 2026

Summary

The Competition Bureau has expanded its investigation into real estate commission rules to include Greater Vancouver REALTORS® (GVR), seeking a court order to gather information. The probe examines whether GVR and the Canadian Real Estate Association's commission rules violate the Competition Act by potentially discouraging competition or leading to higher costs for buyers and sellers.

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What changed

The Competition Bureau has expanded its ongoing investigation into Canadian real estate commission rules by obtaining a court order to gather information from Greater Vancouver REALTORS® (GVR). This expansion broadens the initial 2024 investigation, which focused on the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), to now examine how GVR enforces commission rules within the Greater Vancouver market. The Bureau is assessing whether these rules, which dictate agent compensation and disclosure on MLS systems, contravene the abuse of dominance or other civil provisions of the Competition Act by potentially discouraging buyer agent competition, encouraging steering, or otherwise increasing costs for consumers.

Regulated entities, specifically real estate professionals and associations in the Greater Vancouver area, should be aware that GVR is now subject to a court order requiring the production of relevant information. While no conclusion of wrongdoing has been reached, the investigation is active and aims to determine if anti-competitive practices are occurring. The Competition Bureau previously obtained a court order related to CREA's policies in October 2024. Compliance officers should monitor the progress of this investigation as it could lead to significant changes in real estate commission structures and practices.

What to do next

Review Competition Bureau's ongoing investigation into real estate commission rules.
Ensure compliance with Competition Act provisions regarding abuse of dominance and anti-competitive conduct.
Monitor for any further directives or findings from the Competition Bureau regarding GVR and CREA policies.

Source document (simplified)

Competition Bureau expands its investigation of real estate commission rules to include Greater Vancouver REALTORS®

From: Competition Bureau Canada

News release

Competition Bureau expands its investigation of real estate commission rules to include Greater Vancouver REALTORS®

February 20, 2026 – GATINEAU (Québec), Competition Bureau

The initial investigation began with a focus on the Canadian Real Estate Association

February 20, 2026 – GATINEAU (Québec), Competition Bureau

The Competition Bureau has obtained a court order to gather information from Greater Vancouver REALTORS® and advance its ongoing investigation into real estate commission rules in Canada.

Commission rules dictate how real estate agents are paid, who pays them, and how those payments must be disclosed on Multiple Listing Service (MLS) systems.

The Bureau is investigating whether the commission rules of the Greater Vancouver REALTORS® (GVR) and the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) may contravene the abuse of dominance or other civil provisions of the Competition Act.

When the investigation began in 2024, the Bureau was focused on examining CREA policies. These included how commission rules may impact competition among real estate agents. Under these rules, the seller’s agent must offer compensation to the buyer’s agent when a property is listed on an MLS system.

The Bureau has now expanded the scope of its investigation to examine how GVR enforces the commission rules in the geographic market of Greater Vancouver.

The Bureau requires more information to determine whether these rules:

Discourage buyers’ agents from competing **** by offering lower commission rates **** or alternative pricing models;
Encourage “steering”, a practice where agents are motivated to steer buyers toward homes that offer higher commissions; and
Affect competition in other ways, which could result in higher costs for both buyers and sellers. The order, granted by the Federal Court, requires GVR to produce records and information relevant to the Bureau’s investigation.

The investigation is ongoing and there is no conclusion of wrongdoing at this time.

Quick facts

CREA is a national trade association of real estate agents, real estate boards, and provincial and territorial associations.
The Greater Vancouver **** REALTORS® (formerly the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver) is one of CREA’s largest member boards representing over 15,000 real estate professionals across the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.
MLS systems consist of databases containing real estate listings.
CREA establishes rules for how real estate boards and associations run their MLS systems, including how commission offers must be communicated. When a real estate agent becomes a member of GVR, they also become a member of CREA. As such, members of GVR agree to be bound by CREA’s rules, including rules relating to commissions.
In 2024, the Bureau obtained a first court order related to this investigation into real estate commission rules.
The abuse of dominance provisions of the Competition Act prohibit a dominant firm from engaging in anti-competitive acts or conduct that has the effect of preventing or lessening competition in a market.

Associated links

Abuse of dominance

Contacts

Media inquiries: Media Relations
Email: media-cb-bc@cb-bc.gc.ca

General information: Request for information | Complaint form

The Competition Bureau is an independent law enforcement agency that protects and promotes competition for the benefit of Canadian consumers and businesses. Competition drives lower prices and innovation while fueling economic growth.