Effective 28 Aug 2001

339.151. No commission or consideration unless reasonable cause for payment or contractual relationship exists. — 1. No licensee shall pay a commission or any other valuable consideration unless reasonable cause for payment exists or a contractual relationship exists with the licensee. Reasonable cause does not exist unless the party seeking the compensation or other valuable consideration actually introduces the business to the real estate licensee before a relationship is established between the licensee and a principal to the transaction, including, but not limited to:

(1) A subagency relationship;

(2) A transaction brokerage relationship; or

(3) A cooperative brokerage relationship.

2. It shall be a violation of this section to:

(1) Solicit or request compensation or other valuable consideration from a real estate licensee without reasonable cause;

(2) Interfere with a written representation relationship of another licensee or attempt to induce a customer or client to break a written representation agreement with another licensee for the purpose of replacing such agreement with a new representation agreement in order to obtain a commission or other valuable consideration. Interfering with the written representation agreement of another licensee includes, but is not limited to:

(a) Threatening to reduce or withhold employee relocation benefits or to take other action adverse to the interests of a customer or client of a real estate licensee because of an existing representation agreement in order to obtain compensation or other valuable consideration; or

(b) Counseling a customer or client of another real estate licensee on how to terminate or amend an existing relationship agreement in order to obtain a commission or other valuable consideration.

­­Communicating corporate relocation policy or benefits to a transferring employee shall not be considered interference as long as the communication does not involve advice or encouragement on how to terminate or amend an existing relationship agreement.

3. The fact that reasonable cause to solicit or request a commission or other valuable consideration exists does not necessarily mean that a legal right to the commission or other valuable consideration exists.

4. Any violation of this section shall be grounds for investigation, complaint, proceedings and discipline pursuant to section 339.100.

5. Nothing in this chapter shall prevent any consumer from joining any organization in which one of the benefits of membership may be that such organization can negotiate a reduced rate or price for real estate costs for its members nor shall it prohibit an inducement to the buyer or lessee paid and supplied by the owner of the property directly to a buyer or lessee of the property.

6. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the ability of an employer to direct an employee to follow the terms of the relocation package provided for that employee, nor shall it be construed to limit an employer's choice of relocation service providers.

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(L. 2001 H.B. 266)