A signed viewing form: do you owe the estate agent a commission?

A signed viewing form may merely record a visit, or it may also contain an agency agreement. Whether commission is payable depends on its content and the established agreement, not its heading.

What service did you instruct

Read the entire document, attachments and referenced standard terms. Identify the agent, client, property and event triggering payment: viewing, preliminary agreement, final transfer or another agreed event. A provision covering purchase through a connected person must also be assessed against its actual scope.

Article 51 of the Commerce Act permits remuneration from one or both parties as agreed and, absent an agreement, provides for customary remuneration as appropriate. This does not mean everyone who views an advertisement automatically becomes a client, or that one statutory percentage applies to every transaction.

Check performance and applicable limits

Compare the promised service with actual performance and the payment condition. If you knew the property beforehand or several agents were involved, preserve the chronology of contacts. This is an evidential issue, not automatic release from a signed obligation.

For consumer relationships, transparency and potentially unfair terms require examination. Do not sign a blank form or a document whose second page has not been supplied. If a demand arrives, request the contractual basis and calculation before acknowledging a debt.