The rules, in plain language

What a referral agent can & cannot do

The referral role is intentionally simple — and that simplicity is the point. New Jersey law keeps your activity to one thing: connecting people to your broker. Everything after the introduction is handled by a licensed associate.

The definition

What a referral agent is

A referral agent is a licensed person whose real estate activity is limited to referring prospects — for a sale, purchase, exchange, lease, or rental — to the broker through whom they're licensed.

In practice, that means two things: you can point people to publicly available real estate information, and you can refer them to your broker. That's the whole role.

What you can do

Your two permitted activities
  • ✓ Refer prospects — for a sale, purchase, exchange, lease, or rental — to the broker you're licensed through.
  • ✓ Point people to websites and other real estate information that's already available to the general public.

What you cannot do

Left to the licensed associate
  • × Take part in the brokerage work itself — negotiating, showing, drafting agreements, or handling money.
  • × Be licensed with more than one broker at a time.
  • × Hold a referral-agent license and a salesperson, broker-salesperson, or broker license at the same time.

The specifics

The brokerage work we handle for you

To stay within the rules — and to keep it easy for you — a referral agent doesn't engage in, or get paid for, any of the following. This is exactly the work your associate takes off your plate.

  • Negotiating the purchase, sale, or exchange of an interest in real estate
  • Leasing or renting, or offering to lease or rent, any interest in real estate
  • Collecting rents or any other monies
  • Negotiating commissions or rates, or negotiating or signing listing or buyer-brokerage agreements
  • Negotiating or signing contracts of sale or leases
  • Accepting or holding funds of others, or acting as escrow agent or temporary custodian in a transaction
  • Conducting a public or private competitive sale of land
  • Negotiating, assisting in, or directing the closing of a transaction
  • Negotiating or arranging a mortgage or other loan secured by real estate
  • Conducting showings or open house presentations
  • Participating in expositions or marketing shows presenting specific properties to the public
  • Providing listing information beyond the publicly available sources referral agents may share
  • Producing or presenting comparative market analyses or similar studies
The takeaway is simple: you make the introduction, and a licensed associate does everything else. If you're ever unsure whether something crosses the line, just ask us first.
This page summarizes New Jersey's referral-agent rules in plain language. The official regulations govern in all cases; we're glad to point you to the full text.

Simple by design

The narrow role is the whole appeal — one clear thing to do, and a team that handles the rest. Ready to put your license to work?

Get started → See how it works