Most Ontario real estate agents work on commission only. These agents generally have independent contractor status, which makes them self-employed. The “employed” rules and regulations in the province of Ontario, for the most part, will not apply to self-employed real estate sellers who choose to take maternity leave.

When a real estate agent, real estate agent, sales representative or broker considers her maternity leave situation, she will be thinking about her loss of income, existing and ongoing monthly expenses, and possibly the option of not going back to the job. selling real estate for a longer period. of time.

Here is a typical scenario for an Ontario realtor who is on maternity leave:

Most likely it was an Ontario registered real estate agent with a brokerage franchise. That brokerage is a member of the Toronto real estate board or, depending on its location in Ontario, its own local board. As a board member, the broker pays its fees, including associations such as OREA and CREA. Therefore, all the agents of that Exchange will also be responsible for the debts, whether they are active in sales or not. The agent on maternity leave, then, will also pay these fees as long as she remains registered with this brokerage.

Not all franchise brokers are the same, but most of them will have certain common expenses or fees that their registered sales agents must pay as part of their contract. These fees could be desktop fees, advertising fees, franchise and transaction fees, fixed monthly office fees or administration costs, etc., etc. Although real estate board fees and dues are required whether you are on maternity leave or simply not active in sales, some brokers may allow non-payment or waive some of the expenses listed while the agent is maternity leave.

An agent on maternity leave may have some legitimate concerns about having to pay the same expenses that they did while in the field of sales. Another concern may be the loss of income due to your license. Yet another thought may be the eventual feeling, while taking care of your baby and family, that going back to selling real estate will not be something you want to do sooner, but much later.

There is a lot of flexibility in Ontario with real estate agents ready to take maternity leave. If expenses are going to be an issue, the licensed agent may choose to resign from their current brokerage and register with a real estate brokerage that is not a board member. She can park her license at a brokerage agency that will not have any of the fees listed above and that apply. This alone will save the agent a lot of money, especially if your maternity leave is extended for an uncertain period of time.

Income during maternity leave is possible if the real estate agent remains registered with a member of the brokerage board or a non-member broker. She can refer businesses to a real estate agent or broker and agree to accept a referral fee. As long as your real estate license is registered with a broker in good standing with RECO, you can continue to earn referral commissions that are paid to you through your broker.

Although maternity leave is not an option for many agents, it is good to know that in Ontario, real estate agents who choose to take maternity leave can do so with a little peace of mind. The peace of mind that these agents can substantially reduce their expenses and still earn income by referring sales to other licensed agents surely becomes an important consideration when they decide to become stay-at-home parents.

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