Vacation Coverage: How to Document Another Agent Covering for You

Q: If I have another agent working with a buyer for me while I’m on vacation, what forms do I need to use to ensure they are properly documented as representing the buyer during that time?

A: Your firm may have policies on handling this, so be sure to check with your Managing Principal Broker. OREF 050 and 052, Buyer Representation Agreements, both Exclusive and Nonexclusive, have both been updated to authorize the buyer’s agent to assign other agents to also work with the buyer as an exclusive or non-exclusive agent. This language can be found in Section 9(d). The best practice would still be to specify in writing, using OREF 050A – Buyer Representation Agreement Addendum, the names of other agents being assigned to work as additional buyer’s agents. Suppose the buyer is already a party to a Sale Agreement. In that case, the law requires the buyer and seller to acknowledge the agency relationship of the added buyer’s agent, so use OREF 010–Final Agency Acknowledgment Addendum to accomplish that.

All comments and responses from OREF or its staff, managers, and volunteers are non-legal opinions made for general purposes. Each Forms subscriber must rely solely upon their Principal broker or personal legal counsel for specific advice and instruction. You and your client should independently confirm that the Form(s) you use are legally suitable for the purposes intended and that they are current with respect to all laws and regulations.