Referral Agreement (Broker-to-Broker) — Minnesota Edition Template

Referral fees are a core revenue stream in real estate — but they are legal only when paid between licensed brokers. Every state's license law prohibits paying referral fees to unlicensed persons, and in transactions involving a federally related mortgage loan, RESPA Section 8 (12 U.S.C. § 2607) prohibits kickbacks and unearned fee-splitting for settlement-service referrals — with an exemption at 12 U.S.C. § 2607(c) that permits cooperative brokerage and referral arrangements between licensed real estate agents and brokers. The practical rule: broker-to-broker referral fees are fine; anything else needs scrutiny. And because a referral fee is a commission-sharing promise, the statute of frauds in most states means an unwritten referral deal is an unenforceable handshake.

This 4-page Referral Agreement locks the arrangement down in writing: identification of referring broker and receiving broker (with license numbers and states), the referred client's identity and the scope of the referral (buy-side, sell-side, or both; geographic area; property types), the referral fee as a percentage of the receiving side's gross commission (or a flat amount), when the fee is earned and payable (at closing, out of escrowed commission), treatment of multiple transactions by the same referred client during a defined capture period, a no-brokerage-services acknowledgment by the referring broker in the destination transaction, status updates, and governing law.

The included notes cover interstate referrals (fee must generally be paid broker-to-broker through the licensee's own broker), states with specific referral disclosure requirements to clients, and the RESPA boundaries for anything touching settlement services beyond brokerage. Template for drafting purposes — not legal advice.

About this Minnesota Edition: These twelve templates are drafted around Minnesota's real estate license law, Minn. Stat. ch. 82, and the Department of Commerce rules in Minn. R. ch. 2805. Listing and buyer's broker agreements track the written-agreement requirements of § 82.66 (definite expiration, no automatic extension, negotiated-compensation statement, override clause enforceable only with a timely written protective list). Agency disclosure at first substantive contact and dual agency follow § 82.67: Minnesota permits dual agency only with the prior written consent of both parties, and the consent form paraphrases the statutory concepts rather than copying any association form. Seller disclosure forms reflect Minn. Stat. §§ 513.52–513.60 (disclosure, inspection-report alternative, or written waiver) plus well, septic, radon, and lead-paint overlays. Contract documents rely on the statute of frauds in ch. 513 and electronic signatures under the Minnesota UETA, ch. 325L. Broker-side forms note that Minnesota provides no residential broker lien, route all compensation through the licensed broker, and omit non-compete covenants in light of Minn. Stat. § 181.988. Not legal advice; have a Minnesota-licensed attorney review before use.