Regulatory compliance
and legal framework

housepeek.ca is a technology and advertising platform. We provide licensed real estate professionals with tools to create listing pages, capture buyer inquiries, and market properties to the public.

We are not a real estate brokerage. We do not trade in real estate, represent buyers or sellers, negotiate offers, or facilitate transactions. We are an independent presentation and advertising technology platform.

This is the same legal model used by PropertyGuys.com (operating across Canada since 2000), Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace, Wahi, and every other Canadian platform where real estate professionals advertise properties. No brokerage license is required to operate an advertising platform.

A HousePeek listing page is public marketing. Agents and brokerages remain responsible for any seller-instruction, brokerage, board, cooperation-policy, and provincial advertising obligations that apply to the listing.

housepeek.ca is an additional marketing channel and presentation layer. It does not replace any required brokerage, board, seller-instruction, or cooperation-policy workflow.

Licensed real estate professionals advertise listings on their own websites, social channels, third-party sites, flyers, and other media every day. HousePeek fits into that same advertising context.

Every Canadian province requires that real estate advertisements clearly and prominently display the registered brokerage name. This is mandated by RECO Bulletin 5.1 (Ontario), BCFSA advertising guidelines (British Columbia), RECA rules (Alberta), and equivalent regulations in every other province and territory.

On housepeek.ca, the brokerage name is a required field when creating a listing. It is displayed prominently on every listing page, in a clear and legible format. This is built into every template and cannot be removed, hidden, or reduced in size by the agent.

Additionally, the agent's name and license information are displayed on every listing page. This ensures that buyers always know who the listing agent is and which brokerage they operate under.

RECO Bulletin 5.3 requires that when a brokerage or agent advertises on a third-party platform, they must ensure the platform can process change requests promptly. Additionally, using a third-party platform does not exempt the agent from ensuring the currency and accuracy of their listing information.

housepeek.ca gives agents direct, immediate control over their listings. Agents can update any listing detail, change photos, adjust pricing, or remove a listing entirely. At any time, with no approval queue and no delay. Changes take effect immediately.

When a property is sold, the agent marks the listing as sold or removes it from the platform. housepeek.ca does not keep stale listings active. Agents are responsible for keeping their content accurate, and our platform makes this as frictionless as possible.

All listing content uploaded by an agent remains the intellectual property of the agent and their brokerage. housepeek.ca does not claim ownership of listing photos, descriptions, documents, or any other content. Our Terms of Service grant us a license to display the content on the platform. Nothing more.

Buyer inquiry data (name, email, phone) collected through listing pages is delivered exclusively to the listing agent. housepeek.ca does not sell, share, or monetize buyer data. We do not contact buyers on our own behalf. We do not provide buyer data to competing agents.

All data is handled in compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Buyer consent is obtained at the point of inquiry, and our privacy policy clearly states how information is collected, used, and stored.

Certain Canadian real estate industry terms and marks are controlled by third-party organizations. housepeek.ca does not use those marks in its branding, marketing materials, or product interface in any manner that suggests affiliation or endorsement.

Where third-party marks appear in legal notices or legacy compliance records, they are used only for attribution, disclaimer, or historical-record purposes.

Agents using housepeek.ca are responsible for ensuring their own listing descriptions and marketing materials comply with the trademark, brokerage, board, and advertising rules that apply to them.

Real estate regulation in Canada is provincial. Each province has its own regulatory body, legislation, and advertising rules. housepeek.ca is designed to comply with the requirements of all Canadian provinces and territories. Below is a summary of the key regulators and the legislation that governs real estate advertising in each major market.

The Competition Bureau of Canada has been a consistent advocate for more competition in real estate marketing. In 2010, the Bureau reached a consent agreement with CREA that specifically addressed anti-competitive restrictions on how real estate data could be used and displayed online.

The Bureau's position has been that consumers benefit from more platforms and more competition, not less. Their current investigation into CREA's Cooperation Policy and commission rules examines whether these rules restrict consumer choice, not whether platforms like housepeek.ca should be limited.

housepeek.ca exists in a regulatory environment where the national competition authority actively supports the kind of innovation and competition our platform represents.