Agency Code of Conduct

Every agency that registers with Isle & Key commits to this Code of Conduct. It exists to keep listings honest, to protect buyers from being misled or harassed, and to make sure commission agreements between agencies are honoured. Strong rules are what makes a marketplace worth being on — both for buyers and for the agencies that play by them.

This document complements (does not replace) our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Where a topic appears in more than one document, all of them apply.

Purpose

We are a classifieds platform, not a regulator. But we choose who gets to publish on Isle & Key, and we will remove agencies that don't meet the standards below. The reason is simple: every buyer inquiry an agency receives through Isle & Key is the result of trust that the portal has built. Agencies that abuse that trust make the whole platform less valuable for everyone else.

Listing integrity

• Truthful prices.The listed price must be the price the seller will currently accept. “Bait” pricing — listing significantly below market to harvest leads, then quoting a different price — is prohibited.
• Accurate specifications. Bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, lot size, year built, and CBI approval status must reflect official records. Where a measurement is approximate, say so.
• Honest photography. Photos must depict the actual property. Light editing for white balance and brightness is fine. Removing defects, replacing skies and views, or using AI-generated imagery is not.
• Location. The map pin must point to the property, not to a more desirable area nearby.
• Kept up to date. Listings must be withdrawn or marked sold within 7 calendar days of going off-market. Price changes must be reflected within 48 hours.

Authorization to list

• You may only list properties for which you hold a written authorisation from the legal owner (or their authorised representative). The portal may request to see this authorisation as part of moderation.
• Duplicate listings of the same property by your agency under different listings or different agents are not permitted.
• You may not re-list a property that another agency currently has an active exclusive on. If you believe a listing is wrongly attributed, contact us instead of re-publishing.

Commission sharing (co-broke) — non-negotiable

Isle & Key's co-broke system exists so that buyers represented by one agency can transact on listings held by another, without either side losing their commission. This is the rule that cannot be broken; deliberate breaches are treated as the most serious category of violation.

How the system works

• When a listing agency enables co-broke on a listing, they publish a fixed commission split (e.g. 50/50, 60/40). The split is shown on the listing for any signed-in agency to see.
• A buyer agency that wants to bring a buyer to that listing registers the buyer through the co-broke panelbefore any showing or substantive contact. Registration creates a timestamped, immutable record that includes the buyer's name, email, and the registered split.
• The registration is valid for six months from the date it is created.
• If the registered buyer purchases the property within that window, the listing agency must honour the published split. No renegotiation, no exception, no “internal policy” override.

What listing agencies must never do

• Refuse to honour the published split for a registered buyer who closes within the window.
• Change the split after a buyer has been registered. (You can change the split for future buyers at any time; existing registrations are locked.)
• Approach a registered buyer directly to cut out the buyer agency.
• Suggest to the seller that they take the property off-platform mid- transaction in order to avoid the split.
• Disable co-broke on a listing while a registered buyer is in active negotiations on it.

What buyer agencies must never do

• Register a buyer for a listing without that buyer's knowledge or consent.
• Register the same buyer for the same listing through more than one buyer agency.
• Use registration as a tool to harass the listing agency or to block legitimate buyers from competing.
• Pressure the seller, listing agency, or buyer to alter the split after registration.

If something goes wrong

If two agencies disagree on a co-broke outcome, either party can email hello@isleandkey.com. Both sides will be asked to provide their evidence (registration timestamps, emails, contracts, dates of showings). The portal reviews within seven business days and issues a decision. That decision is binding for any platform-related consequences — strikes, suspensions, refunds of subscriptions — but it does not replace whatever civil remedies either party has in court. We are not a court; we are an operator deciding who may continue to use the platform.

Buyer communication

• Respond within 24 hours.Buyers who inquire through Isle & Key are expecting a reply, not silence. Repeated failure to reply within 24 hours is a strike.
• No high-pressure tactics.Don't invent fake competing offers, fake CBI deadlines, or fake price-increase threats to push a sale.
• Transparency on commissions and fees. Disclose who is paying you and how much before the buyer signs anything.
• No bait-and-switch.Don't lead a buyer to one property and pivot them to a different one without their explicit interest.

Use of buyer data

• Buyer inquiries received through the portal may be used only to respond to that inquiry and to follow up on the same or substantially similar properties.
• You may not add buyers to general marketing lists, sell their contact information, or share it with third parties without their explicit written consent.
• You must respect any unsubscribe or do-not-contact request within 7 days of receipt.
• Buyer data must be retained only as long as needed and protected with reasonable security measures.

Team & agent accountability

• Every agent invited to an agency on Isle & Key operates under that agency's account. The owner is responsible for the conduct of every member of their team.
• One person, one login. Sharing logins between agents is prohibited; owners must invite each agent individually so attribution is clean.
• Listings created by an agent belong to the agency, not the individual agent. An agent leaving the agency cannot remove or transfer those listings.
• Impersonating another agent, agency, or buyer is treated as a severe violation and is grounds for immediate ban.

CBI compliance

• Only mark a property as CBI-approved if it is currently approved by the St Kitts & Nevis Citizenship by Investment Unit. Don't mark “CBI-eligible” properties that haven't actually received approval as CBI-approved.
• Don't promise CBI approval timelines or outcomes — those are set by the CIU, not by you.
• Don't charge buyers government fees on top of the published government rate, and don't hide commission inside what you present as “government fees”.
• Always direct buyers to an authorised CBI agent and to legal counsel before they commit funds.

Fair housing & non-discrimination

You may not refuse to show a property, refuse to deliver an inquiry, adjust pricing, or in any other way treat a buyer differently based on race, colour, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, family status, age, or disability. Listings may not contain language that explicitly or by implication communicates a preference based on any of these protected categories.

Conduct on the platform

• Don't attempt to evade moderation (e.g. re-uploading rejected content with minor edits, creating a second account, using a third party to publish what you couldn't).
• Don't harass Isle & Key staff, other agencies, or buyers through the platform's communication channels.
• Don't attempt to scrape, automate, reverse-engineer, or overwhelm the portal.
• Don't use the portal to facilitate money laundering, identity theft, fraud, or any other illegal activity. We will report serious suspected crime to the authorities.

Strike system

Enforcement is graduated. Most violations earn a strike on the agency's account; serious violations earn multiple strikes or immediate suspension. Strikes are visible to the agency owner in the dashboard, with the reason and the date of issue.

How strikes accumulate

• Strikes are counted on a rolling 12-month window. Strikes older than 12 months drop off automatically and no longer count toward the suspension thresholds.
• A strike issued for a confirmed violation can be appealed within 14 days of issuance (see Appeals below).

Consequences ladder

Severe violations — immediate action

Some conduct skips the ladder. We may suspend or permanently ban an agency immediately, without prior strikes, for:

• Identity theft, forgery, or impersonation.
• A confirmed deliberate breach of a registered co-broke split (see above).
• Fraud, money laundering, or other criminal conduct.
• Harassment, threats, or hate speech directed at buyers, other agencies, or staff.
• Repeated attempts to evade moderation or to operate under multiple accounts to dodge a prior decision.

Examples — what counts as how many strikes

Illustrative only; the precise count is determined by the moderation team based on context.

• 1 strike — listing not updated within 7 days of going off-market; missing a 24-hour response window once; minor inaccuracy in specs.
• 2 strikes— misleading photo edit; high-pressure tactic complaint substantiated; using a buyer's contact for unrelated marketing.
• 3 strikes— “bait” pricing; listing a property without authorisation; misrepresenting CBI status; discriminatory listing language.
• 5 strikes (immediate first suspension) — a single confirmed co-broke breach; deliberate impersonation of another agent; submitting forged documents during verification.

Appeals

Within 14 calendar days of a strike or a suspension notice, the agency owner may appeal by emailing hello@isleandkey.comwith “Appeal” and the strike reference in the subject line. Include any evidence that supports your case. The appeal is reviewed by a moderator who was not involved in the original decision, and we'll respond within 7 business days. The outcome may be: strike removed, strike confirmed, or severity adjusted.

Suspensions continue to run during an appeal unless the moderator explicitly pauses them. If an appeal removes a strike that triggered a suspension, any time served is credited back as a refund of the affected billing period.

Reporting violations

If you witness conduct that you believe breaches this Code — whether you're a buyer, another agency, or a member of the public — email hello@isleandkey.com with details, screenshots, and any reference numbers. Reports are confidential and we will not disclose the reporter to the subject of the complaint without explicit permission.

Changes

We may update this Code. The “Effective” date at the top will change and, for material updates, every agency owner will be notified by email at least 14 days before the new version takes effect. Continued use of the portal after that date is acceptance of the updated Code.

Contact

Questions, clarifications, or to report a violation: hello@isleandkey.com.