The viewing slip: what is its real legal weight?
The viewing slip only attests that an agency showed you a property on a given date. It does not oblige you to buy, to go through that agency, or to pay it a commission by its mere signature. Its scope is often overestimated: it is above all an element of proof for the agency.
What the viewing slip really proves
The viewing slip is a document that the agency has you sign at the end of a viewing. Contrary to a very widespread belief, it is neither a contract binding you to buy nor a search mandate. It serves essentially as proof: it establishes that it was indeed this agency that showed you this property, on such a date.
This proof is of interest above all to the agency in its dealings with the seller or with a competing agency: it allows the agency to demonstrate its role as intermediary if you end up buying the property. The viewing slip, on its own, does not create an obligation to pay a commission on your part: the agent's remuneration presupposes a written mandate and a transaction actually concluded through its intermediation.
- It proves the date of the viewing and the identity of the agency that organized it.
- It does not bind you to buy the property viewed.
- It does not oblige you to go through this agency to conclude.
- It does not amount to a search mandate and does not, by its mere signature, create a debt on your part.
A scope often overestimated
Many buyers believe that by signing a viewing slip they are barring themselves from dealing directly with the seller or from playing competition. This is inaccurate: the agent's remuneration is governed by the Hoguet Act, which requires a written mandate and a transaction actually concluded through its intermediation.
The real risk is not the viewing slip itself, but an attempt to disloyally bypass the agency: for example, viewing through an agency then buying directly from the seller to avoid the commission, when the agency is indeed the source of the introduction. In that case, the agency may seek to establish your liability on the ground of fault. The viewing slip will then serve as proof, but it is the disloyal maneuver, and not the mere signing of the slip, that grounds the claim.
- Signing a viewing slip remains without consequence if you do not buy the property.
- You retain the right to compare, to negotiate and to walk away.
- Disloyally bypassing the agency that showed you the property may, however, establish your liability, the slip serving as proof of its involvement.
- In case of an unusual clause added to the slip, read it: a standard viewing slip must not contain any commitment to a commission on your part.
Frequently asked questions
Am I obliged to buy after signing a viewing slip?
No. The viewing slip is not a promise to buy. It only attests to the viewing. You remain entirely free not to follow up, to view other properties and to buy elsewhere.
Can I buy the property directly from the seller after a viewing with the agency?
Nothing prohibits it in principle, but disloyally bypassing the agency that introduced you may establish your liability. The agency will then use the viewing slip as proof of its decisive involvement.
Do I have to sign the viewing slip the agency presents to me?
Nothing obliges you to, but it is a common and generally harmless practice. Read it: a standard slip merely records the viewing. Refuse or have clarified any clause that would purport to place a commission on your part.
Read next
- Légifrance - Loi n°70-9 du 2 janvier 1970 (loi Hoguet), notamment article 6 (mandat écrit et opération effectivement conclue comme conditions de la rémunération)
- Légifrance - Décret n°72-678 du 20 juillet 1972
- Service-Public.fr - Recours à une agence immobilière et rémunération de l'agent
A question about your plans?
Realistic price, order of the steps, agency fees on a sale. Book a video call with a BRIVEO adviser, free and with no commitment.
Talk to a property adviser