Designated Agency
Also known as: BC designated agency · Single-agent designated agency
BC's real estate agency model since June 15, 2018: the agency relationship is between the client and the individual licensee, not the brokerage; dual agency is prohibited except in narrow remote-market exceptions.
Effective June 15, 2018, BC operates under designated agency: the fiduciary duties of an agency relationship are owed by the individual licensee to the client, NOT by the brokerage. This means two licensees within the same brokerage may represent opposing parties in the same transaction. Dual agency — where one licensee represents both buyer and seller — is prohibited except for narrow exceptions in remote underserved markets, granted only by application to the BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA).
All clients must sign a Disclosure of Representation in Trading Services (DORT) form before substantive trading services are provided. The DORT explains the agency relationship being established and the duties owed.
Related terms
- Material Latent Defect — A property defect that renders the property dangerous, uninhabitable, unfit for purpose, or non-compliant with bylaws/permits AND would not be apparent on reasonable inspection — disclosure is statutorily required and cannot be waived.
- BC MLS Rules of Cooperation — The BC framework — Real Estate Services Rules (BC Reg 209/2021) plus BCFSA Standards of Conduct — that governs how listings are shared via member-board MLS systems and requires single-agent designated agency in place of dual agency.
- Disclosure of Representation in Trading Services (DORT) — A BCFSA-mandated disclosure form a BC real-estate licensee must present and obtain signature on BEFORE providing any "substantive trading services" — explains the agency relationship being established and the duties owed under designated agency.
- Buyer's Agency Contract (Exclusive Buyer's Agency Agreement) — The buyer-side agency contract under BC's designated agency model (since June 15, 2018) — the BCREA Exclusive Buyer's Agency Agreement establishes the buyer's designated licensee, contract duration, geographic scope, and how commission shortfalls are addressed.
- Listing Contract (BC Multiple Listing Contract) — The seller-side agency contract a BC seller signs with a designated listing licensee under the BCREA Multiple Listing Contract form — establishes the agency relationship, listing duration, commission structure, and the seller's authority to publish the listing on the member-board MLS system.
See also
Use any of these formats. Codex content is licensed under CC BY 4.0 — attribution required.
@misc{bronsonjob-bc_designated_agency,
author = {Job, Bronson},
title = {{BC designated agency model}},
howpublished = {BC Real Estate Codex},
year = {2026},
url = {https://www.bronsonjob.com/codex#bc.designated_agency},
urldate = {2026-05-08},
note = {Fact ID: bc.designated_agency, version 1.}
}Job, B. (2026). BC designated agency model. *BC Real Estate Codex*. Retrieved 2026-05-08, from https://www.bronsonjob.com/codex#bc.designated_agency
BC designated agency model — Bronson Job PREC, BC Real Estate Codex (2026-05-08). https://www.bronsonjob.com/codex#bc.designated_agency
Fact id: bc.designated_agency · v1 · machine-readable: /api/v1/facts/by-id/bc.designated_agency.json
Verified sources (2)· re-verified 2026-05-08Click to expand
Every claim on this page is sourced to a primary government, regulator, or industry-association URL. We re-verify quarterly; the verification dates below show when each source was last confirmed against the live government page.
- BCFSAretrieved 2026-05-08Disclosure of Representation in Trading Services (DORT)https://www.bcfsa.ca/industry-resources/real-estate-resources/disclosure-representation-trading-services
- BCFSAretrieved 2026-05-08Standards of Conduct for Real Estate Licenseeshttps://www.bcfsa.ca/regulation/standards-of-conduct-for-real-estate-licensees
bc.designated_agency · v1View in Codex →License: This definition is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Cite as: "Designated Agency", BC Real Estate Glossary by Bronson Job, https://www.bronsonjob.com/glossary/designated-agency.
