RECO bulletins, in plain English
All 33 bulletins, indexed by section with a link to each. Plus the six obligations that catch working agents out - every one read off the bulletin itself, not guessed from its title.
Bulletins are guidance, not legislation. The law is the Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2002 and its regulations; RECO publishes these to explain what those duties look like in practice. They are revised and added to, so treat RECO's own index as the authority and this page as the map.
Six you probably break without noticing
A lockbox needs written permission, and the code is not yours to share
The seller's authorisation has to be documented in a written direction to your brokerage, and you have to explain the risks before you get it. The part that catches people: you must not give the code to anyone without the seller's express written consent, and that includes your own buyer client. Temporary access is supposed to expire within 72 hours. RECO's own wording on unauthorised access is that the agent "should expect to be prosecuted".
Read bulletin 7.2 at RECO →You owe a self-represented party two documents before you help them at all
The RECO Information and Disclosure to Self-represented Party form and the RECO Information Guide both go across before any assistance, with best efforts to get an acknowledgement. After that you are prohibited from giving that person services, opinions or advice on the trade - explicitly including price, terms, and which clauses to put in an offer. Being helpful is the violation.
Read bulletin 2.4 at RECO →A benefit is not just a referral cheque
Anything you or a related person might receive beyond your remuneration has to be disclosed in writing - payments, gifts, event tickets, a promise of future services - with an estimate of what it is worth and how you are connected to whoever is providing it. The trigger is "as soon as possible after the agent knows, or ought to know" it might be coming, so it is the possibility that starts the clock, not the cheque. You then make best efforts to get that disclosure acknowledged.
Read bulletin 3.3 at RECO →An open house runs on the seller's written directions
Those directions have to name the date, the start and end time, which agents are hosting, and any restrictions on access. On the day, you say out loud whose interests you act for - and if you are hosting under designated representation without being the designated rep, you say you do not represent the seller. You stick to factual information about the property and the market, and keep opinions away from anyone you do not represent.
Read bulletin 7.6 at RECO →Stigmas are not in the legislation, which is not the same as "say nothing"
RECO states plainly that stigmas are not explicitly addressed in the legislation, so there is no blanket statutory duty to disclose one. What it expects instead is a full and frank conversation with a seller client, a recommendation that they take legal advice, and written instructions on what they want disclosed - and on the buyer side, enough questions to find out what that particular buyer is sensitive to. It is a legal question you document, not a box you tick.
Read bulletin 7.5 at RECO →Five days, and most of them are nothing to do with moving house
A change to your address for service - email counts - is five days. So is any change to what you put in your registration application, and so is a criminal charge, a conviction, or a discipline proceeding. Leaving a brokerage is five days from when the termination takes effect. Brokerages get five days for a change of broker of record, thirty for a share transfer that takes anyone past 10% ownership, and a trust shortfall is reported immediately.
Read bulletin 1.3 at RECO →Every bulletin, by section
Who you answer to, and what you must tell RECO.
Who you act for, how that is papered, and what you may not do for anyone else.
What has to be written down, told to whom, and acknowledged.
How competing, delayed and pre-emptive offers must be handled.
Every sign, post, card and sold banner you put your name on.
How you get paid, and how that is written into the agreement.
The day-to-day: keys, showings, open houses, and what you must tell a buyer.
Trust money, shortfalls and what the brokerage owes RECO.
Section 6 starts at 6.2 - that is RECO's numbering, not a gap on our side. Sections 5.5 and 5.6 each also have a form attached to them on RECO's index.
The ones we have written up properly
Brokerage identification, social media, the sold-property consent matrix, permitted terms, and why a PREC cannot advertise.
RECO advertising rules →The annual financial filing, the deadline that is not the one most brokers have in their heads, and the trust reconciliation behind it.
RECO annual financial filing →Insurance, registration renewal, continuing education and the brokerage filing - the dates that suspend a registration when they slip.
Ontario realtor compliance calendar →Count a condition period or an irrevocable date every way practice counts it, with Ontario statutory holidays built in.
Ontario offer deadline calculator →Questions about RECO bulletins
What are RECO bulletins, and are they the law?
They are guidance, not legislation. The law is the Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2002 and its regulations; RECO publishes the bulletins to explain what those obligations mean in practice for brokerages and agents. That distinction matters when one is revised: the underlying duty does not change because the explanation did, and following a superseded bulletin is not a defence.
How many RECO bulletins are there?
Thirty-three, across eight numbered sections: professional conduct, relationships and representation agreements, disclosures, offers, advertising, remuneration, general practice, and brokerages. Two of the advertising entries are forms rather than bulletins. RECO adds and revises them, so the list on their site is the authority.
Which bulletin covers advertising?
Section 5. Bulletin 5.1 sets the general requirements, 5.2 covers permitted terms, 5.3 advertising online, 5.4 advertising sold properties, 5.5 the compliance review process and 5.6 complaints from other brokerages. Most advertising questions an agent actually has are answered in 5.1 and 5.2.
Do I need the seller's written permission for a lockbox?
Yes. Bulletin 7.2 requires the seller's authorisation to be documented in a written direction to the brokerage, and it requires the risks to be explained first. It also says the code must not be given to anyone without the seller's express written consent, which includes your own buyer client, and that temporary access should expire within 72 hours.
What do I owe a self-represented party before I help them?
Bulletin 2.4 requires the RECO Information and Disclosure to Self-represented Party form and the RECO Information Guide to be provided before any assistance, with best efforts to obtain an acknowledgement. You are prohibited from giving that person services, opinions or advice on the trade, including on price, terms or which clauses to include.
Do I have to disclose a stigma?
Bulletin 7.5 states that stigmas are not explicitly addressed in the legislation, so there is no blanket statutory duty to disclose one. What RECO does expect is a full and frank discussion with a seller client, a recommendation that they get legal advice, and written instructions on disclosure - and, on the buyer side, asking enough questions to find out what that buyer is sensitive to. Treat it as a legal question, not a form-filling one.
How long do I have to tell RECO my address changed?
Five days. Bulletin 1.3 puts the same five-day limit on a change to your address for service including email, on changes to anything in your registration application, and on criminal charges, convictions or discipline proceedings. Brokerages have five days for a change of broker of record and thirty for a share transfer that takes anyone to 10% ownership; a trust shortfall is reported immediately.
Are RECO bulletins the same as Registrar's Bulletins?
No, they are two separate series. The numbered RECO bulletins indexed on this page explain duties under TRESA. The Registrar's Bulletins are published separately by the Registrar and carry their own notices. If someone cites a bulletin number without a series, check which one they mean.
Read on 2026-09-19 and accurate as at that date. RECO revises bulletins; check theirs before you rely on anything here. This is not legal advice.