Property dealer commission in Haryana: what Rule 10 says

What does Rule 10 say, word for word?

Rule 10 of the Haryana Regulation of Property Dealers and Consultants Rules, 2009, as printed in the Haryana Government Gazette (Extraordinary) of 6 January 2009, page 18, reads: "The license holder shall get only one per centum commission on the agreed consideration value paid by the seller and purchaser of the property i.e. 1/2% by each of them on finalization of the deal as per their agreement entered in the register of the dealer under the valid receipt."

In plain terms: on every ₹1,00,000 of agreed price, the rule's figure is ₹1,000 in all — ₹500 from the buyer and ₹500 from the seller. It is earned when the deal is finalised, not at the first visit or the token, and the payment is entered in the dealer's register against a valid receipt. The same rule sets a separate figure for lease and rent deals; Highline arranges sale and purchase only, so that clause is not discussed here.

What does the 2008 Act require of a property dealer?

The Haryana Regulation of Property Dealers and Consultants Act, 2008 (Haryana Act 38 of 2008) says no property dealer may enter into a sale or purchase without a licence (section 3). The application goes to the Collector — in a Haryana district, the Deputy Commissioner — (section 4), and the Collector grants the licence for five years (Rule 7 of the 2009 Rules). The Act's definition of a property dealer includes a property consultant and an estate agent (section 2(h)). The rules also require a licensed dealer to display the licence number at the office and to keep a register of transactions (Rule 9).

Does the market follow Rule 10?

Not always. ThePrint reported on 8 September 2025 that dealers are authorised to charge half a percent from each side under Rule 10, and that in many towns the practice is 1% from each side. Whatever is proposed, the answer is the same: the fee, who pays it and the event that earns it go in writing before any work begins.

Who pays, and for what exactly?

Rule 10 splits the commission between buyer and seller, and whatever the split, the operative word is knowingly. What the fee buys, when the intermediary is doing the job, is sourcing beyond listings, verification legwork, negotiation, paperwork and presence through registration. What it must never be is a hidden spread — an undisclosed margin between what the seller receives and the buyer pays. Refusing that spread is the founding pledge of this practice.

When is commission actually earned?

Rule 10 ties it to the finalisation of the deal, entered in the dealer's register with a receipt — or the milestone your written terms define. Advance "processing" fees for introductions, viewing charges, and success fees on deals that did not succeed are the tells of an operator, not an intermediary. Reimbursable hard costs (certified copies, travel for a distant verification) are legitimate when itemised and agreed; padding them is the small-time version of the hidden spread.

What should the written terms say?

The written terms need not be elaborate: who is engaged, by which side, to do what, for what fee, payable on which event — token, deed or possession — and what happens if the deal dies between stages. One page, signed, ends two disputes before they start: the double-commission claim ("I represent both sides") and the introduction-fee claim ("I first showed you this land in 2019").

Four habits mark a healthy engagement. The terms are written before the first site visit, naming side, scope, fee and trigger event. The fee triggers on the deal, not the token — an intermediary paid at token has been paid to start deals, not to finish them. Verification runs independent of the introducer: whoever benefits from the deal closing does not get to certify that it should. And every rupee moves by bank against a receipt, which is also what Rule 10's register entry expects.

Which questions expose an intermediary's real role?

• Who pays you in this deal — one side, or both? (Both is answerable, but only if disclosed and priced.)
• What is your fee, on what event, in writing?
• Do you hold any interest in the parcel — an option, a token, a family stake?
• Will the verification run independently of you? (The only acceptable answer is yes.)
• What exactly have you checked yourself — and what are you repeating from the seller?

What does Highline charge?

Highline does not publish its own fee. Fee and scope are agreed in writing before any work begins, the terms name the side we act for and the event that earns the fee, and there is never a hidden position in the price. The rule above is public; your number is in your written terms. When this reaches a real parcel: what an engagement with the Palwal office costs, in writing.