Only represent the fiduciary interests of Business Space Users (Tenants/Buyers). NEVER represent the interests of Professional Landlords or Investor Owners. A theoretical autonomous tenant representation “division” of a full service real estate company is unacceptable. Zero tolerance.
When in doubt, over communicate and over disclose. There is no substitute for absolute trust, which once lost, can never be recovered.
Never engage in any conduct under any circumstances, which is even arguably unethical or illegal. Never represent a client which does not adhere to these same absolute and immutable standards. If you are not sure whether something is unethical or illegal, it probably is. Do not participate.
Never offer any incentives to any party to secure representation assignments, and strictly avoid compromising the interests of any client in connection with seeking new client representation assignments in any way.
Do not think or act merely in transactional terms, but rather in a relationship based manner. Always protect the client’s interests.
Never violate the trust relationship of any tenant by attempting to sell any additional, non-representation services. Any assistance provided to a tenant in these areas shall be gratuitous.
Always place the interests of the client above your own. For example, if there is a difficult subleasing assignment in a location where a third party firm or individual is more suited, recommend to the client that a superior alternative is available, and guide the client through the process.
Retain and protect each client’s proprietary information in absolute confidence. This means avoiding interviews or obtaining other self-serving publicity at the expense of releasing sensitive client data.
Never seek or accept the authority to commit the client to any transaction. The proper modus operandi is advice rather than authority.
Never solicit or accept any commissions or other fees which are either above or below the then-existing market rates, and willingly disclose all fees offered to the Client. Full transparency.
