Most problems with an agent are about communication, fees or a missed step, and many are fixed by the agreement you signed and a conversation with the agent’s broker. Some are not. This page explains each route, what it can and cannot do, and when to bring in a lawyer.
General information, not legal advice. The Georgia brokerage-law text on this page is summarized from a published copy of the code (each fact names its source and the date we checked it). For your own agreement or dispute, ask a Georgia attorney.
1. Read your agreement
A brokerage engagement is a written contract under which a seller, buyer, landlord or tenant becomes the broker's client. (O.C.G.A. 10-6A-3(4), checked 2026-10-19)
Your listing or buyer agreement says how either side can end it, with what notice, and whether any fee survives. Read that section before you send anything. If you want out, do it the way the agreement says, in writing, and keep a copy. Our guides to the buyer agreement and the listing agreement show where to look.
2. Go to the managing broker
Every agent works under a broker
- Georgia law defines an associate broker and a salesperson as people who act on behalf of a real estate broker. A broker is the licensee who acts for others for a fee. archived official page, checked 2026-10-19
- A Georgia salesperson or associate broker cannot work for more than one broker at the same time, except in limited transfer situations. Georgia Real Estate Commission, checked 2026-10-19
- A GREC license search result lists the licensee's full name, license number, license type, license status, renewal due date, firm name, firm role and a link to license history. GREC license search, checked 2026-10-19
A salesperson or associate broker acts on behalf of a broker, and can work for only one at a time. The firm name is on the GREC license search. Write to the broker at that firm, describe what happened with dates, and say what you want: a different agent, an end to the agreement, or a correction. The brokerage, not only the agent, is the party to your agreement.
3. Ask GREC to investigate
What a GREC complaint is
- The Georgia Real Estate Commission (GREC) is the state agency that administers Georgia's real estate license law for brokers, salespersons and community association managers. Georgia Real Estate Commission, checked 2026-10-19
- GREC must investigate a licensee when any person submits a sworn written request, using the Commission's 'Request an Investigation' form. Georgia Real Estate Commission, checked 2026-10-19
- GREC investigates only issues under the real estate license law and does not settle money disputes. Georgia Real Estate Commission, checked 2026-10-19
- GREC cannot replace a financial loss; it can only reprimand, suspend or revoke a license, impose fines or education, or require reports from an independent accountant. Georgia Real Estate Commission, checked 2026-10-19
GREC is the regulator. Any person can start an investigation with a sworn written request on the Commission’s Request for Investigation form. Know its limits before you file. GREC looks only at license-law issues, does not settle money disputes, and cannot get money back for you. What it can do is discipline the license: reprimand, suspension, revocation, fines or education.
The license search shows a licensee’s status, firm and a history link. We have not confirmed what that history includes, so do not read a clean result as proof that no complaint was ever made.
4. Money: court and the recovery fund
The recovery fund
- Georgia law requires GREC to maintain a real estate education, research and recovery fund with a minimum balance of $1 million. archived official page, checked 2026-10-19
- A person harmed by a licensee's violation of the license law can recover from the fund only by court order after a judgment, up to $25,000 per transaction and $25,000 per claimant, and the fund's total liability for any one licensee ends at $75,000. archived official page, checked 2026-10-19
- A lawsuit that could lead to a recovery-fund payment must be started within two years after the cause of action accrues, and licensees acting as principal or agent in the deal have no claim. archived official page, checked 2026-10-19
The fund is a last resort, not a claims desk. It pays only by court order after a judgment against the licensee for a license-law violation, it has per-transaction, per-claimant and per-licensee limits, and the lawsuit has to start within two years of when the claim arose. A licensee who was a party or agent in the deal cannot claim. If you have lost money, talk to a Georgia attorney early, because the time limit runs while you wait.
5. If the agent is a REALTOR®
The REALTOR® mark and the local association
- REALTOR® is a federally registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and subscribes to its Code of Ethics. National Association of REALTORS®, checked 2026-10-19
- 400 North REALTORS®, founded in 1973, is the local REALTOR® association that serves members in Dawson, Forsyth and Lumpkin counties. 400 North REALTORS®, checked 2026-10-19
Not every licensee is a REALTOR®. If yours is, they are a member of NAR and subscribe to its Code of Ethics, and the local association serving Lumpkin County is 400 North REALTORS®. We have not confirmed that association’s complaint process, so ask it directly how it handles an ethics complaint and what it can do. An association matter is separate from a GREC complaint and from a lawsuit. See Realtor vs real estate agent and associations and the MLS.
6. Discrimination: fair housing
Fair housing
- The Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity enforces the Georgia Fair Housing Law, which prohibits discrimination in residential real estate transactions based on race, sex, religion, disability, national origin, familial status or color. Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity home, checked 2026-10-19
- A fair housing complaint with the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity must be filed within one year after the alleged violation. Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity, checked 2026-10-19
- The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or disability, and HUD accepts complaints. HUD, checked 2026-10-19
- Georgia's fair housing agency says an agent who learns a seller or landlord intends to discriminate should immediately end the agency relationship and tell all parties why. Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity, checked 2026-10-19
If you believe an agent, seller or landlord treated you differently for one of these reasons, you can file with the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity within one year; its fair housing FAQ explains how. HUD also takes complaints under the federal law; start from its Fair Housing Act overview.
Which route fits
| Problem | Where it goes | What it can do |
|---|---|---|
| You want to end the agreement | The agreement’s own terms; the managing broker | End or change the relationship as the agreement allows |
| Possible license-law violation | GREC, by sworn written request | Discipline the license; not recover money |
| You lost money | A Georgia attorney; the courts | A judgment; the recovery fund only by court order, with limits |
| Ethics of a REALTOR® member | The local REALTOR® association | Ask the association what it can do |
| Discrimination | GCEO within one year; HUD | Investigate a fair housing complaint |
When to see a Georgia attorney
See one if money is at stake, if you are being told a fee is owed after an agreement ended, if a closing deadline is close, or if you are unsure whether something was a license-law violation. This page is general information, not legal advice. We do not publish a list of the most common complaints, because we have no official source for one.
Questions people ask
How do I file a complaint about a Georgia agent?
GREC must investigate a licensee when any person submits a sworn written request, using the Commission's "Request an Investigation" form.
Source: Georgia Real Estate Commission
Can GREC get my money back?
No. GREC cannot replace a financial loss; it can reprimand, suspend or revoke a license, impose fines or education, or require reports from an independent accountant.
Source: Georgia Real Estate Commission
What is the Georgia real estate recovery fund?
A person harmed by a licensee's violation of the license law can recover from the fund only by court order after a judgment, up to $25,000 per transaction and $25,000 per claimant.
Source: archived official page
Next step
Before you hire the next agent, check the license and use the interview scorecard to get the fee, term and termination terms in writing up front. Questions for Gold Peach Realty, the publisher of this guide, go through the contact page.
Laws, forms and practices change. Every rule on this page links to the office or statute that sets it; confirm with that source, or a Georgia attorney, before you rely on it.