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Trust in Real Estate Services Act (TRESA)

December 1, 2023

The Ontario government is introducing reforms to the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act (REBBA) that are being implemented in a phased approach. With Phase 2 taking effect on December 1, 2023, the legislative reforms introduce many changes including the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002 being renamed Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2002 (TRESA).

Phase 1 took effect in October 2020 and all changes related to it have already been incorporated into the Real Estate Salesperson Program content, materials, and evaluations.

Phase 2 TRESA information will be incorporated into Real Estate Education Program’s content in 2024.

Until the eLearning content is updated, the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) has developed an eLearning Continuing Education (CE) course that provides a comprehensive overview of Phase 2 legislative reforms and focuses on how the changes will impact the day-to-day activities of real estate agents and their interactions with buyers and sellers. This CE course content will be available at no additional cost as follows:

Real Estate Salesperson Program Pre-Registration Phase Learners

Pre-registration learners will learn more about TRESA in the post-registration phase as detailed below.

Real Estate Salesperson Program Post-Registration Phase Learners

  • RECO’s TRESA eLearning (CE) course will be available as mandatory modules in the Compliance course of the post-registration phase.
  • The additional modules will take approximately three hours to complete.
  • Learners in this phase are encouraged to complete the post-registration requirements as soon as possible to ensure they have the information to be compliant with TRESA changes.
  • Learner access for this course will be extended from one to two months once the updated course is released.

If you are in your first 2-year registration cycle, and have already completed the Compliance course, you will not have the option to complete the continuing education update course through the RECO Continuing Education program. However, you will have the option to take the non-credit version of the course on the RECO public site. Please visit the RECO website for more information.

Real Estate Broker Program Learners

Learners in the Broker Program who are registered as a salesperson with RECO will receive instructions on how to access the TRESA course through RECO’s CE offerings. Please visit the RECO website for more information.

Upcoming TRESA Information

As a preview of future changes, on December 1, 2023, learners will see a summary of expected TRESA content changes for all eLearning courses when they login and access their courses. This information will be available on new tabs at the course and module level. Learners must click on the new tab to see the summary.

No TRESA updates or changes to eLearning course content will be made at this time and learners should continue to study and learn current materials. Humber will notify learners when each course and associated examination will be updated with TRESA changes. We expect the TRESA content changes to be implemented in 2024. To avoid any interruptions or complications to your studies, notifications will also provide the exact date when each change is scheduled to come into effect. If you have questions about the TRESA modules in the Compliance course, Content Support Desk facilitators are available from Monday to Saturday to help you with course content, concepts and/or topics. To contact Content Support Desk facilitators, call 416-675-5025 or 1-888-626-3090 (Toll Free); select option 6, Monday to Friday 8:30am-8:30pm or Saturdays 8:30am-5:00pm.

As you may be aware, there have been recent legislative changes that will affect the Real Estate Salesperson Program. The Ontario government is introducing reforms to the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act (REBBA) that are being implemented in a phased approach. Phase 1 took effect in October 2020 and all changes have been incorporated into the Real Estate Salesperson Program. Phase 2 will take effect on December 1, 2023, and it will introduce a number of changes including the name of the legislation from the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act to the Trust in Real Estate Services Act (TRESA).

The importance of continuous learning

As you make your way through your real estate career, you will observe that legislation changes often. Our aim is to instill within you a responsibility to adopt an attitude of continuous learning when it comes to regulatory compliance. RECO and your future brokerages will always be valuable sources of information on this topic.

What Phase 2 of TRESA means for you

We want all learners to know that the program design teams at RECO and NIIT Canada are in the process of reviewing the changes contained within TRESA and updates to the program and materials are being implemented. As you continue your learning journey, we want to emphasize the program content, as it exists today, remains relevant and essential to your future success as a real estate salesperson.

In the coming months, you will be given advance notice of all upcoming amendments to program eLearning, Simulation Sessions, and exam/assessment content. To avoid any interruptions or complications to your studies, notifications will also provide the exact date when each change is scheduled to come into effect.

Learn more about TRESA and all forthcoming changes 

TRESA FAQs

TRESA Phase 1 was completed in October 2020 and those changes are reflected in all course materials within the Real Estate Education Programs.

Examples of these changes include the permitted use of Personal Real Estate Corporations (PRC), amendments to the Code of Ethics to permit the use of new terms to describe a salesperson and a broker, such as REALTOR and real estate agent.

TRESA Phase 2 changes focus on multiple representation and designated representation, self-representation, open offer process, written agreements and disclosures, new consumer information guide, code of ethics and RECO’s discipline process.

Implementation of TRESA Phase 2 updates into Real Estate Education Program curriculum is expected to take place at a later date in 2024. Learners should continue to study and learn current materials. Humber will notify learners when each course and associated examination will be updated with TRESA Phase 2 changes. To avoid any interruptions or complications to learner studies, notifications will also provide the exact date when each change is scheduled to come into effect.

The TRESA Phase 2 updates into the Pre-Registration Phase of the Real Estate Salesperson Program and the Real Estate Broker Program curriculum will take place at a later date in 2024.  At that time, the exams will also be updated to include TRESA Phase 2 changes. Until that time, learners should learn current course materials to prepare for their exams.

Since no changes will be made to the Pre-Registration phase of the Real Estate Salesperson program until a later date in 2024, Pre-Registration phase learners should continue to study and learn current materials.  Learners, however, will learn about TRESA Phase 2 changes in the Post-Registration: Compliance eLearning course as of December 1, 2023. RECO’s Introduction to TRESA modules (10 modules) have been added to the course. These TRESA modules will take learners approximately three hours to complete.

The Introduction to TRESA modules is designed to help understand the key changes in the legislation — what they are, how they impact the day-to-day activities of real estate agents, and what they need to do differently to comply with the Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2002 (TRESA) and the regulations.   It will cover topics including how the consumer relationships and interactions with brokerages under TRESA differs from consumer relationships under Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002 (REBBA), brokerage representation and designated representation options, new mandatory documents, new requirements for disclosures, consents, and acknowledgements, and the provisions of the new Code of Ethics regulation.

Learners who have completed the Post-Registration: Compliance eLearning course can take the non-credit version of RECO’s Introduction to TRESA modules on the RECO public website. Please visit the RECO website for more information.

TRESA updates or changes to the Real Estate Education Program curriculum will not be made at this time. Hence learners should continue to study and learn current materials. Humber will provide learners with advance notice of when courses and exams will be updated to reflect TRESA Phase 2 changes. Learners in the Post-Registration Phase of the Real Estate Salesperson Program will learn about TRESA Phase 2 changes in the Post-Registration: Compliance eLearning course, effective December 1, 2023. Learners in the Real Estate Broker Program will receive instructions on how to access the TRESA modules through RECO’s Continuing Education (CE) offerings. Please visit the RECO website for more information.

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