The following is intended to serve as a guideline of Dos and Don'ts for Unlicensed Personal Assistants (UPA).

As with all landlord tenant questions, you must first ascertain whether your lease is subject to common law or whether it is subject to the Virginia Residential Landlord Tenant Act (VRLTA).

Article 3 requires a REALTOR® to cooperate with other brokers "whenever it is in the interest of the client."

In most states, "Caveat emptor" no longer applies to real estate transactions. Instead, it is the licensee who bears responsibility for making disclosure of all material facts of which he or she has knowledge.

A new Standard of Practice 3-10 explains that the duty to cooperate includes a duty to share information about a listed property and to make a property available to other brokers for showing to prospective purchasers.

If the differences between prospects are insignificant then following the practice of first come, first served makes more sense.

The Real Estate Board issued a few do's and don'ts for real estate assistants who are not licensed, but indicated that brokers should consult the Board's regulations and legal counsel when in doubt.