Journal · October 5, 2026
Making an offer in Ontario under TRESA: a plain-language guide
The Trust in Real Estate Services Act changed how offers work in Ontario. Here is what buyers should understand before they sign.
This guide explains how offers work in Ontario under the Trust in Real Estate Services Act, or TRESA, which took full effect in December 2023 and replaced the old Real Estate and Business Brokers Act. Whether you are bidding on 60 Starling Drive or any other Ontario home, the same rules apply to everyone involved.
Understand who you work with
Under TRESA there are two ways to take part in a transaction: as a client, represented under a written agreement with a brokerage that owes you a fiduciary duty, or as a self-represented party who handles the process independently and receives only limited assistance. Before an agent shows you properties or submits an offer for you, a written representation agreement is required.
The Agreement of Purchase and Sale
Offers in Ontario are made in writing through the Agreement of Purchase and Sale. Your offer sets an irrevocability date, the deadline by which the seller must accept, reject or counter it. Once that date passes, the offer lapses. Your agent must present any written offer they receive to their client as soon as possible.
Conditions protect you
Most offers include conditions, typically set out in a schedule, that let you walk away if specific events do not happen by a set date. The most common are financing, a home inspection, a condominium status certificate review, and the sale of your current home. If a condition is not satisfied or waived by its deadline, the deal generally falls through.
Open offers and competing bids
TRESA allows a seller to authorize their agent to share the contents of competing offers, including price, deposit, closing date and conditions, with other buyers. Buyers should assume their offer details could be shared unless the seller directs otherwise, and the seller's agent must tell each buyer who submitted an offer how many competing offers there are.
Get it in writing
Everything that matters in a real estate transaction belongs in writing: price, deposit, conditions, inclusions and exclusions. If you are considering an offer on 60 Starling Drive, the listing agent can explain how the seller intends to handle offers and what you will need to submit.
Written by George Palios
REALTOR with North Group, powered by REAL Broker Ontario. Listing agent for 60 Starling Drive.