In the Province of Nova Scotia, customers are just like Ontario.
This is the explanation on the website of The Nova Scotia Real Estate Commission:
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP
A buyer or a seller may also choose to use the services of a licensee without requiring an agency relationship. For example, this might occur when a licensee is showing an unrepresented buyer their seller-client’s property or when they approach a seller directly on behalf of their buyer-client. If you are in a customer relationship, do not provide the licensee with any information you do not want the other party to know (ex. motivation, divorce, financial situation, etc.) as the licensee has fiduciary duties to their client to tell them anything they know.
In a customer relationship, the licensee has a legal and ethical duty to provide accurate and honest answers to questions and can provide the following services to you:
- explain real estate terms and practices;
- provide and explain real estate forms;
- identify and estimate service costs of other professionals involved in a transaction;
- prepare offers and counter offers at your direction;
- present all offers and counter offers promptly; and
- give you true (identical) copies of all agreements.
The licensee cannot:
- make recommendations about the transaction, for example, what you should offer or counter offer;
- assist you with negotiation;
- inform you of their client’s top/bottom line; or
- disclose any confidential information about their client unless specifically authorized to do so.
COMMENT
The customer role is the same in both Provinces. It is s step-down from client services, or agency.
Transaction brokerage is “multiple representation” and Designated Agency is actually different. The concept does not exist in Ontario.
Brian Madigan LL.B., Broker