Key facts
- Compass said the policy requires agents to cooperate with other brokers on Private Exclusive and Coming Soon listings unless a client directs otherwise in writing.
- Compass agents must share listing details on request with agents at any brokerage and present all written offers to the seller.
- Compass said the policy was modeled on Bright MLS's rule on cooperation for homes marketed off the MLS.
- Compass said 45 of its top 50 MLSs limit Coming Soon listings, prohibit showings for them or restrict accepting offers.
- Compass International Holdings has filed one lawsuit against California Regional MLS, which with eight other MLSs has sued Compass.
Compass announced a new Broker-to-Broker Cooperation Policy on Wednesday, according to a report published November 12, 2026. The policy requires all Compass agents to cooperate with other brokers and agents, including for listings marketed as Private Exclusive or Coming Soon, unless a client instructs otherwise in writing.
Under the policy, Compass agents must make listing details available on request to agents regardless of brokerage affiliation, respond to inquiries from buyers or cooperating brokers in a timely manner, share requested information, make the property available for showings to any qualified prospective buyer during any period when showings are being provided, and present all written offers to the seller.
In a collaborative social media post shared by Compass, CEO Robert Reffkin and president Neda Navab, the company said the policy drew on Bright MLS's rule on cooperation when a home is marketed off the MLS. Bright MLS's policy states that each subscriber must cooperate impartially with all other subscribers in the client's best interest, including sharing information about listed properties and arranging showings regardless of any financial arrangement with another broker and regardless of whether the MLS distributes the property's information.
In the post's caption, the company said that while it supports cooperation and is willing to work with every broker, it does not want to place all listings in the MLS because the MLS has become a system that restricts how homeowners can market their homes. The caption said 45 of Compass's top 50 MLSs limit how long a seller can list a Coming Soon, prohibit showings for Coming Soons, or restrict accepting offers altogether.