2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 5 - Businesses and Professions › Chapter 5-20.6 - Relationships in Residential Real Estate Transactions › Section 5-20.6-5. - Duties owed by a designated client representative to client.

§ 5-20.6-5. Duties owed by a designated client representative to client.
(a)
If an affiliated licensee is appointed by the principal broker or his or her designee to represent a buyer, seller, tenant, or landlord in a real estate transaction and obtains the written consent of a buyer, seller, tenant, or landlord with an executed, mandatory relationship disclosure to represent that person as a designated client representative, the licensee owes the following legal duties and obligations to his or her client:
(1)
To perform the terms of the client representation contract, if any, with reasonable skill and care;
(2)
To promote the client’s best interest in good faith and honesty;
(3)
To protect the client’s confidential information during the relationship and after its termination;
(4)
To perform agreed-upon ministerial acts timely and competently;
(5)
To perform these acts with honesty, good faith, reasonable care, and skill; and
(6)
To properly account for money or property placed in the care and responsibility of the principal broker.
(b)
A principal broker or his or her designee may appoint one or more affiliated licensees to act as the designated client representative(s) of a seller or landlord and one or more affiliated licensees to act as the designated client representative(s) of a buyer or tenant in the same transaction; provided; that, all parties to the transaction receive written notice that an inherent conflict of interest may exist when designated client representatives are affiliated with the same principal broker.
(c)
A designated client representative of a seller client or landlord client shall have no duty to protect the confidential information of a buyer customer or tenant customer involved in a transaction with his or her client. Conversely, a designated client representative of a buyer client or tenant client shall have no duty to protect the confidential information of a seller customer or landlord customer involved in a transaction with his or her client.
(d)
In the event that one or more affiliated licensees represent a seller as a designated client representative and one or more affiliated licensees represent the buyer as a designated client representative in the same transaction, the principal broker or his or her designee shall act in a capacity as the transaction coordinator and shall protect the confidential information of all parties to the transaction and properly account for funds.
(e)
No affiliated licensees of the principal broker, other than those licensee(s) specifically designated to represent the client as a designated client representative, shall represent the client or owe any other duties except that affiliated licensees not appointed to represent a client in a transaction shall have the duty to protect the client’s confidential information.
(f)
All other affiliated licensees of the principal broker not appointed as a designated client representative for a party in a real estate transaction may represent another party with conflicting interests in the same transaction.
(g)
A designated client representative is exclusively responsible for the performance of any duties owed to the client.
(h)
An appointment of a designated client representative by a principal broker or his or her designee to represent a client shall not limit the principal broker’s liability or responsibility for any breach of duty owed to a client by the designated client representative.
History of Section.
P.L. 1989, ch. 141, § 2; P.L. 2007, ch. 344, § 1; P.L. 2007, ch. 403, § 1; P.L. 2013, ch. 27, § 2; P.L. 2013, ch. 38, § 2; P.L. 2014, ch. 528, § 2.