section 535.228(c)(3) of the standards of practice do require inspectors to report as a deficiency a starter course tab that is not sealed material. trec does not require a pre-inspection or employment contract to be signed by the parties to the inspection. failure to repay a loan constitutes a breach of your private agreement with the license holder and is not a violation of trela or the rules. if it does, trec will ask you to provide a copy of the order of expungment or non-disclosure and upon receipt will not consider that offense in determining a person's fitness for licensure. a real estate license is not required for an individual employed by a property owner for the purpose of buying or selling real property on behalf of the owner. [trela §1101.558(c)] in addition, the iabs is not generally required when the license holder is acting solely as a principal in the transaction. yes, but if you offer, recommend, or promote the use of a service provider and expect to receive compensation from the service provider when a party uses the service, the ad must disclose that you may receive the compensation. [rule 535.147(d)] it is not a violation of trela or the rules for a license holder to rebate a portion of their compensation to a party in the transaction. it is not a violation of trela or the rules for a license holder to rebate a portion of the license holder’s commission to a party to a real estate transaction. yes, but a locator will be required to first obtain the consent of the apartment complex if the locator does not represent the tenant. [trela §1101.351(c)] thus, a sales agent may not work for a broker who is not the sales agent’s sponsoring broker or work for another broker or out of another broker's office. a name used in advertising by an associated broker that is not the associated broker’s licensed name must be registered as a team name by the broker he or she is associated with and meet all the requirements for a team name. it is important to remember that there will always be a single intermediary broker even if another license holder has been authorized to make the specific appointments. they are only required to conduct a visual inspection of the property, and buried gas lines are not required to be inspected. accordingly, inspectors are not required to report mere evidence of a past fire or the presence of paint in the attic. if installed and if visible, the installation described in your question is required to be reported as a deficiency. rule 531.20(d) states that providing a link to the iabs form in a footnote or signature block of an email is insufficient. only an active licensed sales agent sponsored by a licensed business entity may make a referral on behalf of the brokerage, and any referral fee must be paid to the sponsoring broker. however, a real estate license holder's failure to deposit earnest money in accordance with the terms of the contract could form the basis of a complaint.