On 14 September 2026, the ACCC said REA Group had undertaken to remove restrictive provisions from contracts with real estate agencies. The regulator said the changes should give agencies and their clients more choice and flexibility in listing options for Australian properties for sale and rent.
The ACCC's concern was that REA contracts included anti-competitive restrictions, including clauses requiring all properties to be listed on realestate.com.au. It also said most REA contracts previously locked agencies into listing all properties for sale or lease on the portal, and required or incentivised agencies to use higher-fee listing features for all or part of their stock.
Guardian Australia reported the same day that realestate.com.au would no longer be able to force agents to list all properties on the site, and noted the undertaking followed more than a year of ACCC scrutiny.
Do not oversell what has changed overnight
The undertaking does not mean every rental advertising process changes immediately, or that a landlord can avoid every portal cost. It means REA has committed to change contract settings for three years, including not requiring or incentivising agencies to list all or most properties on realestate.com.au.
Property managers should be careful with landlord conversations this week. Avoid promising cheaper advertising, better enquiry quality or a particular platform mix unless the agency has checked its own agreement, pricing schedule and advertising workflow.
Record the landlord's advertising instruction
The ACCC specifically said landlords and vendors should discuss available listing options with their agents so they can consider different portals, listing options and fees. That puts the instruction trail back in focus.
For a rental listing, keep a short record of the options discussed, the recommended package, the landlord's instruction, the approved spend, the go-live date and any later upgrade or downgrade. If the owner asks why a property is or is not on a particular portal, the team should not have to reconstruct the answer from chat messages.
Separate landlord choice from agency defaults
Many agencies will still have preferred workflows. That is normal. The risk is when the file makes it look as if there was no choice, no instruction and no explanation of cost.
If the agency uses a standard rental marketing package, write it plainly in the management or leasing file. If there are alternatives, keep the current options and price notes somewhere staff can find them. If a landlord declines a listing channel or paid upgrade, record that too.
Watch listing upgrades and fee approvals
The ACCC also referred to contract settings that required or incentivised higher-fee listing features. That does not make listing upgrades improper. It does make approval evidence more useful.
A practical approval record should show who authorised the upgrade, what it cost, what period it covered, which property it applied to and whether the spend was charged to the landlord or absorbed by the agency. For leasing teams moving quickly between opens, that kind of note avoids an awkward fee dispute later.
Update scripts before the question lands
Some landlords will hear the news and ask whether their property still needs to be advertised on realestate.com.au, Domain or other channels. Staff do not need a long compliance memo. They need a short answer that is accurate.
For example: the ACCC has announced an undertaking about REA's agency contracts; the agency is reviewing available listing options and costs; the recommended package for this property will be confirmed with the landlord before paid advertising is placed. Keep the wording factual and avoid suggesting the undertaking has already rewritten every listing agreement.
Keep rental records connected
Advertising choices sit beside the rest of the leasing file: landlord instructions, rent recommendation, photos, inspection times, application records, condition report timing and the final tenancy agreement. If a landlord later questions leasing cost, vacancy time or tenant quality, a clean advertising record helps explain what was approved and what actually happened.
What to do this week
Check the agency's current rental advertising packages, owner approval wording and listing upgrade process. Make sure staff can explain that the ACCC undertaking concerns REA's agency contracts, not a blanket rule that every rental listing should move away from realestate.com.au.
This article is general information for rental operators, not legal advice. Check the ACCC release, the undertaking if relevant to your agency, and your own portal agreements before changing advertising processes or advising a landlord on a specific listing.
Sources checked
Reviewed 2026-09-18.