State Codes and Statutes
Statutes > Wisconsin > 452 > 452.133452.133
452.133 Duties of brokers.452.133(1)
(1) Broker's duties to all persons in a transaction. A broker who is providing brokerage services to a person in a transaction owes all of the following duties to the person:452.133(1)(a)
(a) The duty to provide brokerage services honestly and fairly.452.133(1)(b)
(b) The duty to provide brokerage services with reasonable skill and care.452.133(1)(c)
(c) The duty to timely disclose in writing all material adverse facts that the broker knows and that the person does not know or cannot discover through reasonably vigilant observation, unless the disclosure of a material adverse fact is prohibited by law.452.133(1)(d)
(d) The duty to keep confidential any information given to the broker in confidence, or any information obtained by the broker that he or she knows a reasonable person would want to be kept confidential, unless the information must be disclosed by law or the person whose interests may be adversely affected by the disclosure specifically authorizes the disclosure of particular information. A broker shall continue to keep the information confidential after the transaction is complete and after the broker is no longer providing brokerage services to the person.452.133(1)(e)
(e) The duty to provide accurate information about market conditions that affect the person's transaction, within a reasonable time after the person's request, unless disclosure of the information is prohibited by law.452.133(1)(f)
(f) The duty to safeguard trust funds and other property held by the broker as required by rules promulgated by the department under s. 452.13 (5).452.133(1)(g)
(g) When the broker is negotiating on behalf of a party, the duty to present contract proposals in an objective and unbiased manner and disclose the advantages and disadvantages of the proposals.452.133(2)
(2) Broker's duties to a client. A broker providing brokerage services to his or her client owes the client the duties that the broker owes to a person under sub. (1) and all of the following additional duties:452.133(2)(a)
(a) The duty to loyally represent the client's interests by doing all of the following:452.133(2)(a)1.
1. Placing the client's interests ahead of the broker's interests.452.133(2)(a)2.
2. Placing the client's interests ahead of the interests of persons in the transaction who are not the broker's clients by not disclosing to persons in the transaction other than the broker's clients information or advice the disclosure of which is contrary to the interests of a client of the broker, unless the disclosure is required by law.452.133(2)(am)
(am) The duty to provide, when requested by the client, information and advice to the client on matters that are material to the client's transaction and that are within the scope of the knowledge, skills, and training required under this chapter.452.133(2)(b)
(b) The duty to disclose to the client all information known by the broker that is material to the transaction and that is not known by the client or discoverable by the client through reasonably vigilant observation, except for confidential information under sub. (1) (d) and other information the disclosure of which is prohibited by law.452.133(2)(c)
(c) The duty to fulfill any obligation required by the agency agreement, and any order of the client that is within the scope of the agency agreement, that is not inconsistent with another duty that the broker has under this chapter or any other law.452.133(2)(d)
(d) The duty to negotiate on behalf of the client.452.133(3)
(3) Prohibited conduct. In providing brokerage services, a broker may not do any of the following:452.133(3)(a)
(a) Accept any fee or compensation related to the transaction from any person other than the broker's client, unless the broker has the written consent of all parties to the transaction.452.133(3)(b)
(b) Act in a transaction on the broker's own behalf, on behalf of the broker's immediate family, or on behalf of any organization or business entity in which the broker has an interest, unless the broker has the written consent of all parties to the transaction.452.133(3)(c)
(c) Except as provided in s. 452.19, refer, recommend or suggest to a party to the transaction the services of an individual or entity from which the broker may receive compensation for a referral or in which the broker has an interest, unless the broker has disclosed the fact that he or she may receive compensation or has disclosed his or her interest in the individual or entity providing the services.452.133(4)
(4) Subagent's duties.452.133(4)(a)
(a) A subagent owes all persons to whom a broker is providing brokerage services in a transaction the duties specified in sub. (1) but does not owe the clients of the principal broker the duties under sub. (2).452.133(4)(b)
(b) A subagent may not do any of the following:452.133(4)(b)1.
1. Place the subagent's interests ahead of the interests of the clients of the principal broker in the transaction in which the subagent has been engaged by the principal broker.452.133(4)(b)2.
2. Provide advice or opinions to parties in the transaction if providing the advice or opinions is contrary to the interests of the clients of the principal broker in the transaction in which the subagent has been engaged by the principal broker, unless required by law.452.133(5)
(5) Duties without agency or subagency relationship. If a broker is providing brokerage services to a person who is a party or a prospective party to a transaction, and the broker does not have an agency agreement with the person and is not a subagent of another broker in the transaction, then the broker owes the person the duties under sub. (1) and may not, unless required by law, provide advice or opinions relating to the transaction in which the person is receiving brokerage services if providing the advice or opinions is contrary to the interests of a party to a current or prospective transaction with the person receiving the brokerage services.452.133(6)
(6) Waiver of duties. The duties imposed by subs. (1), (2) (a), (am), (b), and (c), (4), and (5) may not be waived. A client may waive, in part or in full, the broker's duty under sub. (2) (d), except that a waiver under this subsection is not effective unless the broker provides to the client a written disclosure containing all of the following:452.133(6)(a)
(a) A copy of the text of sub. (2) (d) and s. 452.01 (5m), and a statement that, as a consequence of the client's waiver, the broker will have no legal duty to perform the duty imposed by sub. (2) (d).452.133(6)(b)
(b) A statement that as a consequence of the client's waiver, the client may require the assistance of an attorney or another service provider to fulfill the client's goals and contractual duties in the transaction.452.133 - ANNOT.
History: 1993 a. 127; 1995 a. 400; 2005 a. 87.452.133 - ANNOT.
Cross Reference: See also ch. RL 24, Wis. adm. code.452.133 - ANNOT.
The New Real Estate Agency Law: Redefining the Role of Real Estate Brokers. Smith and Staff. Wis. Law. Oct. 1994.452.133 - ANNOT.
The `New' Chapter 452: Defining Real Estate Broker Practice. Leibsle. Wis. Law. June 2006.