Texas: buyer-agreement requirements.

This page lists what Texas requires, at the state level, before a licensee represents a buyer: who regulates real-estate licensees, whether a written buyer agreement is required by state law or rule, the statute or rule that says so, and whether the state mandates an agency-disclosure form or publishes an approved agreement form.

It is built for broker-owners and transaction coordinators who need the state rule in one place before setting office policy. Read it alongside your brokerage's own forms and your broker of record's guidance — the written-agreement question became a national practice issue in 2024, but the rule that binds you is your state's, and it is the state rule this page cites.

Texas, field by field.

Regulating authority

Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC)

Written agreement required by state law

Yes

Statute or rule

Tex. Occ. Code § 1101.562 (real property showings without representation) and § 1101.563 (written agreement required), enacted by the 89th Texas Legislature, effective 2026-01-01. Source: TREC, 'What Changes in 2026 About Buyer/Tenant Representation in Texas' (trec.texas.gov) — the regulator's own publication. We did not read the codified statutory text.

Agency disclosure form

Not verified as a separate mandated form for this purpose. The statutory content requirements sit inside the agreement itself (see Notes). Texas separately uses the Information About Brokerage Services (IABS) notice — confirm its current governing section, timing and form with TREC.

State-approved form available

Not verified

Notes. Effective 2026-01-01, before showing residential real property or presenting an offer, a licensee must have a signed agreement in one of two shapes. (1) A NON-REPRESENTATION agreement for showings only: it must be non-exclusive and must terminate within 14 days maximum. (2) A REPRESENTATION agreement: it may limit services but cannot waive minimum duties. Either way the agreement must state the services to be provided by the license holder, a termination date, whether it is exclusive, whether the license holder is representing the buyer, 'the amount or rate of compensation the broker will receive,' and a notice that 'broker compensation is not set by law and is fully negotiable.' Scope: residential buyers only — it does not reach commercial purchasers or residential or commercial tenants. Per TREC, an agent may unlock a door for a buyer without a signed agreement but cannot offer advice or opinions on the property. The buyer representation agreement forms in general use in Texas are trade-association forms, not TREC-promulgated contract forms.