What Real Estate Agents Actually Charge in the Dominican Republic

Most articles about Dominican real estate commission say some version of "typically 5% to 10%, but it's negotiable." That is not wrong, but it is not useful, and it leaves you guessing whether the number you have been quoted is normal.

There is a better answer. The Dominican Republic's national association of real estate agents publishes an actual commission schedule, in its code of ethics, and expects its members to follow it. It covers sales, rentals, property management and short-term letting, and it specifies what happens when a deal collapses.

Here is the whole thing, in plain English, with the tax nobody mentions.

Where These Numbers Come From

The Asociación de Agentes y Empresas Inmobiliarias (AEI) has been the Dominican Republic's real estate association since 1989. Its Código de Ética sets out commission standards in Articles 3 through 8, and AEI restates the core figures publicly on its FAQ page. We keep a full reference on the organisation here.

Two things to understand before the numbers.

First, these are standards for members, not law. A non-member agent is not bound by them, and even a member can agree different terms in writing. What the schedule gives you is a benchmark — a way to know whether a quote is in line with the profession or well outside it.

Second, commission is calculated on the real transaction price. Article 3 is explicit: the commission is worked out on the price stated in the brokerage contract, but definitively on the actual price. This matters in the DR, where declaring a lower price on the deed to reduce transfer tax has historically been common. The agent's commission follows the money, not the paperwork.

Sales

Urban property: 5% minimum. That is a floor, not a typical figure. AEI's guidance is a minimum of 5% of the real sale value unless a different agreement exists.

Rural or distant property: 5% to 10%. The range widens based on how far the property is, the nature of the land, and how accessible it is. A remote parcel that takes a full day to show, twice, prices differently from a condo in Bávaro.

On top: the owner pays ITBIS on the commission. This is the line that surprises sellers. ITBIS is the Dominican value-added tax, currently 18%, and it applies to the agent's service. AEI's code puts that obligation on the property owner.

So on a US$400,000 urban sale at the 5% minimum:

• Commission: US$20,000
• ITBIS at 18% on the commission: US$3,600
• Total cost to the seller: US$23,600

Key Takeaway: That is 5.9% of the sale price, not 5%. If you budgeted 5%, you are US$3,600 short before anything else in the closing stack.

Work out your actual net with our net proceeds calculator, which handles this alongside capital gains and transfer costs.

When a Sale Falls Apart

The code covers two failure cases, and they run in opposite directions.

The buyer walks away. If the buyer withdraws under a purchase option, the agent is entitled to 10% of the arras — the deposit. Not 10% of the sale price. The deposit is generally forfeited to the seller, and the agent takes a tenth of it.

The seller kills the deal. If the sale does not complete through the owner's fault, the agent is owed a minimum of 25% of the full commission. On that same US$400,000 deal, that is US$5,000 plus tax, for a sale that never happened.

If you are a seller, this is worth reading before you sign a brokerage agreement, not after you change your mind.

Rentals

Annual leases: one month's rent. For contracts of a minimum of one year, the commission is the equivalent of one monthly rent payment.

Quarterly contracts: 25% of one month's rent. Shorter periods are priced proportionally.

No refund on early termination. If the tenancy is suspended before its term, the agent does not return the commission.

The owner pays. As with sales, the commission is the property owner's cost.

Property Management

This is where the range is widest, because "management" covers very different amounts of work.

Rent collection only: 10% to 15% of what is collected. The agent receives the rent and passes it on.

Collection plus administration: 10% to 20%, or more. Once the agent is handling maintenance, tenant issues, suppliers and reporting, the rate climbs.

Short-term and complex rentals: 20% to 40%. Vacation rental management — turnover, cleaning, guest communication, dynamic pricing, platform management — sits at the top of the range, and 40% is within the published standard rather than a rip-off.

If you are evaluating whether a short-term rental actually pays at those management rates, our rental income calculator lets you model the net after management fees.

The Full Schedule

How Two Agents Split One Commission

This part does not change what you pay. It changes who has an incentive to bring you a buyer, which is why it is worth understanding.

The default is 50/50. Absent a prior written agreement, the total commission divides in two equal parts: half to the listing broker, half to the buyer's broker.

Referrals earn 10%. An agent who simply connects the parties takes 10% of the total commission — or 5% where outside third parties are involved.

Prior clients are protected for 60 days. If a client was already being worked by another broker, the commission splits 50/50 between the original agent and the current one, for 60 days.

Everything should be in writing, in advance. The code says the split must be fixed beforehand in writing, and that all commercial relationships between members need written backing.

Pro Tip: If you list at a commission so low that a 50% split leaves nothing meaningful for a buyer's agent, buyers' agents have little reason to show your property. Discount commissions in the DR can quietly cost you exposure.

What This Means If You Are Buying

In most Dominican transactions the seller pays the commission, and it is built into the asking price. You are paying it either way — it is simply not itemised on your side of the table.

Two things follow.

If an agent asks you, the buyer, for a separate commission on top of a seller-paid listing, ask directly whether they are also being paid by the seller's side. Double-dipping without disclosure is not consistent with the code's requirement to act with lealtad y veracidad — loyalty and truthfulness.

And if the asking price includes 5–10% of agent commission, that is part of what you are negotiating against. Knowing what the property is actually worth independently of the asking price is the whole point of a valuation or a fair price check.

One Caveat Worth Stating Plainly

These standards bind AEI members. They do not bind the entire Dominican market, and enforcement reaches only as far as AEI's membership.

That is likely to change. A bill requiring every real estate intermediary in the country to hold a licence passed the Senate in first reading in April 2026 and is moving through the legislature. We cover what it changes in our analysis of the intermediation law.

Until then, the practical move is to check whether the agent you are working with is actually a member — here is how.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the standard real estate commission in the Dominican Republic?

AEI, the national real estate association, sets a minimum of 5% on urban property sales and 5–10% on rural or distant property. The property owner also pays ITBIS at 18% on top of the commission, so the real cost on a 5% deal is closer to 5.9% of the sale price.

Who pays the real estate agent in the Dominican Republic?

The seller pays, in the great majority of transactions, and the cost is built into the asking price. The seller also pays ITBIS on the commission. Buyers pay indirectly through the price rather than through a separate invoice.

Is the commission negotiable?

Yes. AEI's figures are member guidance rather than law, and a different rate can be agreed in writing. Bear in mind that a commission low enough to make the standard 50/50 split unattractive to buyers' agents can reduce how widely your property is shown.

What commission do agents charge for rentals in the Dominican Republic?

One month's rent for a lease of a year or more, and 25% of one month's rent for a quarterly contract, with shorter periods priced proportionally. Property management is separate: 10–15% for rent collection alone, 10–20% or more with administration, and 20–40% for short-term rental management.

Do I still owe commission if the sale falls through?

Under AEI's code, it depends on who caused it. If the buyer withdraws, the agent takes 10% of the deposit. If the sale fails through the owner's fault, the agent is owed a minimum of 25% of the full commission.