Ethics, protection and expertise – these are the values at the heart of RICS new international code which outlines how brokers and real estate agents conduct their business, the RICS Real Estate Agency & Brokerage Standards (REABS). 

These standards are the first ever to provide an overarching international framework for all RICS real estate agents and property brokers worldwide. As residential, rural and commercial real estate transactions in most parts of the world are initiated through brokers and estate agents, it is necessary that a global framework sets out best practice in the delivery of these services.

From country to country, there is enormous variation in regulations and government licensing which outline how brokers and estate agents operate. With continuing globalisation and many companies now conducting cross-border real estate transactions, RICS saw the need for a common set of global standards which apply to this area of the property profession.

With growing international recognition, the REABS have already been endorsed by Europe’s leading firms.
More than 60 firms across continental Europe have endorsed the RICS REABS (see the list below updated on a monthly basis).

(Please note that the full Guidance Note on the Real Estate Agency & Brokerage standards is available for download on rics.org for RICS members only. The standards are also available for purchase by non-members here.)