Yes. Under Ontario's Trust in Real Estate Services Act (TRESA), a seller can direct their brokerage to share the substance of competing offers with all buyers who have submitted a written offer. This is not mandatory. The seller controls whether any offer details are shared, which details are shared, and can change that decision at any point during the process.
This change arrived with TRESA Phase 2, which took effect on December 1, 2023, replacing the older Real Estate and Business Brokers Act (REBBA). Under the previous framework, agents were prohibited from disclosing offer contents. The new rules under section 22.7 of the TRESA general regulations now permit it, but only at the seller's written direction.
There is one disclosure that remains mandatory regardless of the seller's preference. When a brokerage representing a seller receives competing written offers, it must communicate the number of those offers to every person who has submitted one. That requirement applies in every multiple-offer situation.
Beyond the offer count, the seller decides the scope of transparency. They may instruct their brokerage to share the price only, or the price along with conditions and closing dates, or nothing at all beyond the count. They can also direct that only parts of competing offers be shared. Whatever information is disclosed must go to all offer-makers equally. Selective sharing with only certain buyers is not permitted under the regulations.
One firm restriction applies to all scenarios. No personal information about any buyer, and no information that could identify the person making an offer, may ever be disclosed. The seller's brokerage is bound by this rule even when sharing everything else.
Buyers should know that the seller can reverse course at any time. A seller who initially chooses a closed process may switch to transparency after reviewing incoming offers, and vice versa. Buyers can ask their agent to include a clause in the offer requesting that its contents not be shared, though the seller is not obligated to honour that request. The Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) oversees compliance with these rules.
This process is sometimes called the 'open offer process,' but it is not an auction. There are no rules governing live bidding, real-time updates, or standardized rounds. It simply gives sellers the option to pull back the curtain on offer terms if they choose to. Learn more about how offers work by reading what is a conditional offer.