The Real Estate Council of Ontario has issued a penalty against a real estate broker following a formal discipline process that centered on the unauthorized interference with a client relationship held by another brokerage. Harminder Pal Singh, a registered broker who was at all material times employed with the brokerage LPRE Inc., doing business as Coldwell Banker Southwest Realty, has been ordered to pay a $12,000 fine and complete a mandatory ethics course. The decision found that Singh breached fundamental professional standards when he assisted a buyer in acquiring a property while knowing that the individual was already under a valid representation agreement with a competitor.
The events leading to the disciplinary action began in the spring of 2024 and involved a series of overlapping Buyer Representation Agreements. In the Ontario real estate market, a Buyer Representation Agreement is a legal contract that establishes an exclusive relationship between a buyer and a brokerage for a specified period. On April 6, 2024, Priyanka Sagwal and Kulwant Singh entered into the first of these agreements with RE/MAX Sarnia Realty Inc. This initial contract, which was set to remain in effect until May 31, 2024, established Aman Zaidi as their primary salesperson. This agreement meant that the brokerage held the exclusive right to represent these individuals in their search for and purchase of real estate within the defined geographic parameters of the contract.
The complexity of the situation increased as the month progressed. On April 24, 2024, Priyanka Sagwal entered into a second representation agreement with RE/MAX Sarnia Realty, this time alongside Vikas Chouhan. This second agreement was scheduled to expire on June 14, 2024. Just one day later, on April 25, 2024, Priyanka Sagwal and Vikas Chouhan signed yet another agreement, this time with HouseSigma Inc., which was valid for one month. These various contracts meant that multiple brokerages had legal claims to represent Priyanka Sagwal during the late spring of 2024. Despite these existing obligations, a new transaction began to take shape involving Harminder Pal Singh and the brokerage LPRE Inc. in early May.
On May 2, 2024, Kulwant Singh moved forward with an offer on a specific property located at 1063 Leckie Drive in Sarnia, Ontario. Rather than proceeding through the salesperson at RE/MAX Sarnia Realty with whom he had an active contract, he utilized the services of Harminder Pal Singh. An Agreement of Purchase and Sale was submitted for the property, and the sellers accepted the offer on May 3, 2024. On that same day, Kulwant Singh signed a fourth Buyer Representation Agreement, this time with Singh and LPRE Inc., which was intended to cover the period leading up to the scheduled closing date of June 7, 2024.
While the initial offer on the Leckie Drive property was submitted only in the name of Kulwant Singh, evidence emerged that there was a calculated plan to include Priyanka Sagwal in the transaction once her existing legal obligations to other brokerages had lapsed. Following the acceptance of the offer, Harminder Pal Singh sent a revealing email to the mortgage broker, Brad Suave, who was handling the financing for the purchase. In this correspondence, Singh explicitly stated that he would be adding Priyanka Sagwal’s name to the deal after May 25. He noted in the email that she was currently under an agreement with another realtor until that date. Crucially, Singh also instructed the mortgage broker that it would be best not to discuss this arrangement with her previous realtors.
This communication became a focal point of the subsequent regulatory investigation. It demonstrated that Singh was not only aware of the existing contractual relationship between the buyer and another brokerage but was actively taking steps to circumvent it. By structuring the initial Agreement of Purchase and Sale with only one spouse’s name and planning to add the second spouse only after the competing contract expired, Singh attempted to bypass the protections afforded to the original brokerage. On May 25, 2024, exactly as Singh had described in his email, an amendment was drafted by a real estate lawyer to add Priyanka Sagwal as a buyer. This amendment was signed by both buyers and the seller on May 27, 2024, effectively bringing Sagwal into the transaction that had been initiated while she was still under contract with RE/MAX Sarnia Realty.
The transaction for the property on Leckie Drive was completed as scheduled on June 7, 2024. However, the professional repercussions for the conduct began shortly thereafter. On June 21, 2024, Aman Zaidi of RE/MAX Sarnia Realty filed a formal complaint with the Real Estate Council of Ontario. The complaint alleged that Singh had knowingly interfered with a client who was under a valid Buyer Representation Agreement. When the regulator reached out to Singh for a response on June 28, 2024, he admitted that the initial purchase agreement was signed only in Kulwant Singh’s name specifically because Priyanka Sagwal was under a contract with another brokerage until May 25, 2024.
The Real Estate Council of Ontario evaluated these facts under the Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2002, and its associated Code of Ethics. The regulator determined that Singh’s actions constituted a failure to comply with Section 1 and Section 14 of the Code. Section 1 requires all registrants to act with courtesy, honesty, good faith, and integrity in their business dealings. The findings indicated that Singh’s strategy to conceal the involvement of a client who was already represented by another firm violated these core principles. Furthermore, Section 14 specifically addresses dealings with clients of other registrants. It mandates that if a broker knows or ought to know that a person is a client of another firm, they must communicate with that person only through their existing representative unless written consent is provided.
The discipline process moved forward on the basis of an Agreed Statement of Facts and Penalty. This meant that Singh admitted to the facts as presented and waived his right to a full formal hearing. By signing this agreement, he acknowledged that his conduct failed to meet the professional standards expected of a broker in Ontario. The Chair of the Discipline Committee reviewed the submission and agreed that the proposed penalty was appropriate given the nature of the violation. The interference with another brokerage’s client relationship is considered a serious matter in the industry because it undermines the stability of the contract system that governs real estate transactions in the province.
The final order issued by the Discipline Committee requires Singh to pay a fine of $12,000 to the Real Estate Council of Ontario. This payment must be made no later than February 2, 2026. In addition to the financial penalty, the committee focused on the need for professional rehabilitation and education. Singh is required to successfully complete a specific educational program titled REIC 2600 Ethics in Business Practice. This course must be finished within four months of the decision, and Singh must provide proof of completion to the regulator within 60 days of finishing the program. Failure to comply with these terms could lead to further disciplinary action or the suspension of his registration.
This case serves as a clear reminder of the strict boundaries surrounding client representation in the Ontario real estate sector. The regulatory framework is designed to ensure that when a consumer enters into a representation agreement, that relationship is respected by all other professionals in the field. The use of tactical maneuvers, such as omitting a spouse’s name from an initial offer to wait out a contract expiry, is viewed by the regulator as a breach of the duty to act with honesty and integrity. The Real Estate Council of Ontario continues to monitor such activities to maintain public confidence in the profession and to ensure that the competitive landscape remains fair for all brokerages and their representatives.
The decision was officially released on October 1, 2025, marking the conclusion of the regulatory response to the 2024 transaction. For the general public and other real estate professionals, the details of this file emphasize that the Code of Ethics is not merely a set of guidelines but a enforceable regulation with significant financial and professional consequences. The requirement for Singh to return to the classroom to study business ethics underscores the regulator’s commitment to ensuring that brokers fully understand their obligations to their colleagues and the public. As the real estate market in Sarnia and across Ontario remains a high stakes environment, the adherence to these ethical standards remains a priority for the provincial governing body.
