Estate agent's fees will normally be paid when?

• A. At exchange of contracts
• B. On completion date
• C. Upon completion of the sale
• D. On registration of title

Answer: (C)

The main point is that estate agent’s fees are earned and payable when the sale is finally completed. Once completion occurs, the buyer’s funds are transferred, the title passes to the buyer, and the agent has delivered what they were contracted to do—market the property, find a buyer, and negotiate the deal. That completion moment is when the agency’s work is deemed complete and the fee becomes due. It wouldn’t be paid at exchange because the contract isn’t binding or finished yet, and it isn’t tied to title registration, which is simply an administrative update after the sale has closed. In practice, the usual arrangement is payment on completion of the sale.