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OH RE Broker study materials
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OH RE Broker: Real Estate Law, Rules, and Broker Responsibilities

OH RE Broker · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Real Estate Law, Rules, and Broker Responsibilities

What this domain tests

This domain covers Ohio license law and the broker's legal and ethical duties: licensing, prohibited acts, fair housing, disclosures, antitrust, and discipline. Expect questions about what triggers Division action and what the broker must do when a salesperson violates the rules.

Core rules

  • Ohio licenses are issued by the Division. Brokers must meet education and experience requirements, pass the exam, and renew. A broker must notify the Division of changes and may not pay commissions or referral fees to unlicensed persons for brokerage activity.
  • ORC 4735.18 lists disciplinary violations: misrepresentation, false advertising, undisclosed dual agency, commingling, failure to account, acting outside the license, and failing to supervise. Broker discipline can follow a salesperson's conduct.
  • Fair housing: the federal Fair Housing Act and Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4112 prohibit discriminatory housing practices. Steering, differing terms, and discriminatory advertising are violations.
  • The Residential Property Disclosure Form under ORC 5302.30 applies to most residential transfers. It discloses known material defects, is not a warranty, and failure to provide it can affect the buyer's remedies.
  • Antitrust: commissions are negotiable. Never suggest a standard rate or coordinate rates with competitors. Trust funds and records remain broker responsibilities under ORC 4735.24.

Worked example

A salesperson tells a buyer that a listing's school district is 'perfect for families like yours' and avoids showing homes in a racially mixed neighborhood. That is steering and discriminatory advertising. The broker must stop the conduct, document corrective action, and expect Division scrutiny for failure to supervise; fair-housing liability can also reach the brokerage.

Traps

Thinking the disclosure form guarantees condition; assuming fair housing only covers race; treating commission splits as set by a board; ignoring a salesperson's violation because the salesperson is an independent contractor.