Glossary / Commissions and splits
Also known as: Co-list, joint listing
Co-listing is when two or more brokers or brokerages share one listing, jointly representing the owner and dividing the listing side of the commission. It differs from a co-broke, where the listing broker shares the fee with a broker representing the other party.
LegalClarity describes a co-listing agreement as "a contract between two or more real estate brokerages that share responsibility for marketing and selling a single property." 360training defines co-listing as two agents partnering to represent a seller in one transaction. In commercial leasing, the same structure can apply to a landlord listing, with the brokers dividing marketing, tours, and negotiation. LegalClarity notes that the managing broker's signature binds the firm, so an individual agent may not be able to commit the brokerage alone.
The co-listing agreement decides your share of the listing side. LegalClarity says the agreement should state the total commission and the exact split, adding that "common splits include 50/50 and 60/40, but there's no standard." 360training notes that some agents divide the fee by share of work while others agree to an equal split regardless. If a tenant broker is involved, the co-listing brokers divide what remains after the Co-broke share, depending on how the agreements are written.
Timing can be affected too. If the landlord pays one firm, the other firm's share depends on that firm passing it on, so the agreement should say who receives payment and when the other firm is paid. LegalClarity also recommends spelling out marketing costs and the protection period.
Settle the split, who collects from the landlord, and when the other firm is paid before the listing goes live.
For example, on a hypothetical $80,000 commission where the tenant's broker receives half, $40,000 remains for the listing side. If two co-listing firms split that 60/40, one receives $24,000 and the other $16,000, before each firm applies its own brokerage split.
