RECA investigates all written complaints against industry members within its jurisdiction and decides whether there has been conduct deserving of sanction, including:
conduct that does not follow the Real Estate Act, Rules or Bylaws
conduct that does not follow the standards of practice and ethical behaviour generally expected of an industry member
incompetent conduct that could be a risk to consumers or other industry members
Once a written complaint is made, it must be investigated by law and cannot be withdrawn. However, if an industry member settles with a complainant, their agreement may be taken into account in determining whether there is conduct deserving of sanction.
Gathering Facts
The Real Estate Act gives RECA’s investigators power to collect all evidence relevant to the investigation. Investigators must gather all the facts carefully, fairly and objectively. Both the complainant and the industry member may be interviewed during an investigation. They must interview all necessary witnesses, which may require more than one meeting with a witness and the investigator may record the interview.
Information obtained during an investigation is kept confidential as far as the investigation process allows. However, if the matter goes to a hearing or a prosecution, the information may become public and the complainant may be asked to testify.
Cooperation Required
Industry members are required by the Real Estate Act to cooperate with investigations, including responding to questions and providing documentation. Information gathered by a RECA investigator cannot be used in a prosecution under other laws or in a civil suit.
Length of Process
Because of the volume and complexity of the complaints RECA receives, several months may pass before a case progresses from the initial complaint to the final decision. Although no information on the progress of an investigation can be provided in order to protect the integrity of the investigation, complainants are advised of any decisions of the executive director and/or Hearing Panel as they occur.
RECA has recently introduced an expedited investigation process to deal with possible conduct deserving sanction that is less serious in nature. To review RECA’s Guide to Expedited Investigations, please click here.
Different than Board Investigations
In some cases, the local real estate board (or other industry association) and RECA receive the same complaint, which may lead to two investigations. These investigations have different purposes: the industry association looks into the industry member’s compliance with the association’s membership requirements, RECA investigates the industry member’s compliance with the Real Estate Act, Regulations, and Rules.
