- Your agent must tell every buyer who submitted a written offer how many competing offers there are.
- Your agent cannot share the content of competing offers without your written direction.
- You decide how offers are presented and which one is accepted.
- You can never direct the sharing of personal or identifying information about a buyer.
Several offers on one home feels like good news, and often it is. It can also be stressful, because decisions come fast and the rules about what can be shared with whom are easy to misunderstand.
This article sets out how Ontario agents must handle competing offers, what you can and cannot authorize, and how to keep a clear record of your choice. Details such as deadlines and conditions come from your own agreement of purchase and sale, so a lawyer should review any offer before you accept.
What your agent must tell buyers
The seller's agent must tell every buyer who submitted a written offer how many competing offers there are. A verbal offer is not a competing offer under the legislation.
If the same brokerage represents both you and a buyer in the same trade, it must disclose that to the other written-offer buyers before an offer is accepted. Ask your agent early whether this could happen with your sale.
What can be shared, and what cannot
Telling buyers the number of offers is required. Sharing what is in those offers is different. Without your written direction, your agent may not share the content of competing offers.
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Number of competing offers | Must be told to every buyer who submitted a written offer |
| Content of competing offers | Only with your written direction |
| Price | Your direction may or may not include price |
| Personal or identifying information about a buyer | Can never be shared, even if you direct it |
Your direction can cover only selected parts of the offers, can be given before or after offers arrive, and can be changed at any time. Put it in writing and keep a copy.
How you choose among offers
With multiple offers, you decide how offers are presented and which one is accepted. RECO describes these options:
- Accept the best offer.
- Negotiate with one buyer and reject the others.
- Negotiate with one buyer while telling the others their offers are set aside.
- Reject all offers.
The highest price is not always the best offer. Compare conditions, closing date, deposit and any requests for fixtures or inclusions. A lower offer with fewer conditions can carry less risk than a higher one that depends on financing or a home sale.
If you are selling without an agent
A homeowner who sells without an agent is a self-represented party, meaning someone who is not a client of a brokerage and has chosen not to use an agent's services, opinions and advice. RECO warns that the risks are significant because the other side usually has an experienced agent, and it recommends independent professional advice.
When a buyer's agent deals with a seller who has no agent, the agent cannot advise the seller on price or terms and must first give the seller RECO's Information and Disclosure to Self-represented Party form. In a bidding situation that means you will be handling the comparison and the paperwork largely on your own, which is a good moment to have a lawyer review each offer.
What to do next
- Decide in advance, with your agent, whether you want any content of offers shared, and put your direction in writing.
- Ask whether any buyer is also represented by your agent's brokerage.
- Confirm in writing the offer deadline, as set out in your listing documents.
- List each offer's price, deposit, conditions and closing date side by side.
- Have a lawyer review your preferred offer before you sign.
- Keep a record of every offer, any written direction, and which option you chose.
- Tell the buyers whose offers you do not accept, as your agent advises, so nobody is left waiting.
Rules on irrevocability and counter-offers depend on the wording of the offer documents, so read them closely and ask your lawyer before you rely on a deadline.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to tell buyers how many offers I have?
Your agent must tell every buyer who submitted a written offer how many competing offers there are. A verbal offer is not a competing offer under the legislation.
Can my agent show one buyer another buyer's offer?
Not without your written direction. You can limit the direction to selected parts, and it may or may not include price. You can never direct the sharing of personal or identifying information about a buyer.
Do I have to accept the highest offer?
No. You decide how offers are presented and which is accepted. You can accept the best offer, negotiate with one buyer, or reject all offers.
Can I change my mind about what my agent may share?
Yes. The direction can be given before or after offers arrive and can be changed at any time. It is wise to keep each version in writing.
Sources
- RECO – Know the risks of representing yourself — reco.on.ca
- RECO Bulletin 2.4 – Dealing with a self-represented party — reco.on.ca
- RECO Bulletin 4.1 – Number and content of competing offers — reco.on.ca
- RECO – Dealing with competing offers — reco.on.ca
- RECO – For the RECOrd: August 2025 — reco.on.ca
Links go to official government, court and regulator pages. The law changes — confirm you are reading the current version.
This is a real estate question
Start a file online — flat, published fees, reviewed by a licensed lawyer before a dollar is owed.