REBBA has been replaced by TRESA.
REBBA 2002 (Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002) was the Ontario law that ruled real estate brokerages, brokers, and salespeople for over 20 years, from its last big update in 2006 until it ended. It set the rules for registration, the Code of Ethics, and what must be disclosed in real estate deals. REBBA was in charge until December 1, 2023. On that date, the Trust in Real Estate Services Act (TRESA) took over as the new law.
TRESA didn’t just throw out REBBA — it renamed it and made big changes to it. The rollout happened in stages. Stage 1 (October 2020) brought in Personal Real Estate Corporations (PRECs), which let agents set up their business as a corporation. Stage 2 (December 2023) brought the bigger changes: a new, simpler Code of Ethics based on core principles (replacing the old 11-page document), new rules on multiple representation that require written consent from everyone involved, a new option called “designated representation” (where two agents at the same brokerage each represent one side — buyer or seller — separately), and a change in wording from “customer” to “self-represented party” for anyone who isn’t formally represented by an agent. A third stage of the rollout is still happening.
TRESA (Trust in Real Estate Services Act) was passed in 2020 and became fully active on December 1, 2023. The main idea behind it shifted from putting brokers first to putting consumer protection first.