Free cheat sheet · All states
Florida Brokerage Relationships & Escrow Deadlines, Untangled
Transaction broker vs single agent vs no brokerage relationship, the escrow clocks, FREC discipline, and the Florida-only property rules — the state-law topics the Florida exam leans on hardest.
Florida's agency law is unlike any other state's: TRANSACTION BROKER — limited representation with no fiduciary duty to either party — is the PRESUMED relationship. Candidates coming from out-of-state study material get this wrong constantly, and the exam knows it.
Florida is also the only state we serve with a single combined exam: 100 questions at Pearson VUE, one score, pass at 75 — no separately scored state portion. This cheat sheet covers the Florida-law areas that carry the most weight: the three authorized relationships, the escrow machinery, discipline, and the property rules unique to Florida.
The three authorized relationships (s.475.278)
- TRANSACTION BROKER is the statutory DEFAULT — limited representation, NO fiduciary duty, 8 duties including limited confidentiality, honesty and fair dealing, and skill/care/diligence. No signed form is needed to be one.
- SINGLE AGENT owes full fiduciary duties (9, adding loyalty, confidentiality, obedience and full disclosure) — created only with the written SINGLE AGENT NOTICE.
- NO BROKERAGE RELATIONSHIP owes just 3 duties: honesty and fair dealing, disclosure of known material defects, and accounting for funds.
- Relationship disclosures apply to RESIDENTIAL sales of 4 units or fewer.
- TRAP: dual agency is ILLEGAL in Florida residential transactions. When the exam offers 'dual agent' as an answer, it is almost always the distractor.
Transition and the commercial exception
- Moving a principal from single agent to transaction broker requires the principal's WRITTEN Consent to Transition — before the change, not after.
- DESIGNATED SALES ASSOCIATES — two associates in the same brokerage each acting as a single agent for one party — are allowed ONLY in commercial transactions meeting the statutory thresholds. Not the residential 'designated agency' other states have.
What else is in this cheat sheet
- The escrow clocks (61J2)
- Discipline under s.475.25
- Licences and the education ladder
- Property rules only Florida tests
- The exam itself
Common questions
Is this cheat sheet really free?
Yes. Enter an email and the full sheet unlocks — there's no card, no trial, and no charge later. The email is how we send the occasional practice tip; unsubscribe whenever.
Can I print it?
It's laid out to print cleanly on standard paper once unlocked, so you can keep it beside you while you study rather than reading it on a screen.
Will memorising this pass the exam?
No, and we'd rather say so. A cheat sheet consolidates what you already half-know and exposes what you don't. Passing comes from working real questions until the reasoning is automatic — the sheet is a companion to that, not a substitute.
Are these facts verified?
They're written from each state's published statutes, commission rules and the testing vendor's content outline. Rules do change; where something is time-sensitive we say so, and you should confirm anything decisive with your state commission.
Use it, don't just read it
Work through free practice questions on the same topics, drill the exam vocabulary, check where you stand, or browse the other cheat sheets.