DFW Metroplex real estate agent guide: consumer resources
Buying or selling a home in the Dallas-Fort Worth area means dealing with licensed agents, lenders, and sometimes disputes that need outside help. Below is a curated list of real government agencies, trade associations, and legal aid groups that consumers can turn to for verifying credentials, filing complaints, or understanding their rights when working with a real estate agent.
Government & regulatory
-
Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC)
State agency that licenses and regulates real estate brokers, sales agents, inspectors, easement or right-of-way agents, and timeshare plans, and handles consumer complaints against them.
Visit website → Phone: 512.936.3000 Texas Real Estate Commission, Stephen F Austin Building, 1700 N. Congress Ave., Suite 400, Austin, TX 78701 -
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO)
Federal agency that enforces the Fair Housing Act and accepts complaints of housing discrimination in sales, rentals, and lending, covering race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability.
Visit website → Phone: 1-800-669-9777 or 1-800-877-8339 (TTY) -
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
Federal agency that accepts and investigates consumer complaints about mortgage lenders, servicers, and other financial products tied to home purchase financing. Consumers who believe a lender discriminated against them can file with the CFPB or with HUD.
Visit website → Phone: (855) 411-2372 -
Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending (SML)
State agency that regulates mortgage lenders and licenses residential mortgage loan originators in Texas, accepts consumer complaints about them, and maintains a Recovery Fund for consumers financially harmed by a licensed individual.
Visit website → Phone: 512-475-1350, 877-276-5550 (Toll-free) -
Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) – Fair Housing
State agency that provides guidance on filing fair housing complaints and lists HUD-funded local fair housing assistance programs, including one serving the Dallas area (the City of Dallas Fair Housing Office).
-
Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) – Civil Rights Division
State agency tasked, alongside HUD, with enforcing the Texas Fair Housing Act (Texas Property Code Chapter 301) and accepting housing discrimination complaints.
Industry & professional associations
-
MetroTex Association of REALTORS®
The largest REALTOR association in DFW, serving real estate professionals across the region with market data, professional education, and fair-housing resources for consumers, including monthly and annual market reports backed by the Texas A&M Real Estate Research Center.
Visit website → 1701 Kinwest Parkway, Irving, TX 75063 -
National Association of REALTORS® (NAR)
The national trade association for real estate professionals. It sets a Code of Ethics that member REALTORS must follow and offers consumer education on the homebuying and selling process.
Financial assistance
This is general information, not financial advice. Confirm eligibility and terms directly with each program.
-
Texas Real Estate Recovery Trust Account
A state-administered fund, run by TREC, that can compensate consumers for certain financial losses caused by a Texas-licensed real estate professional's violation of the License Act when the loss can't be recovered from the license holder directly. Consumers apply through TREC's Application for Order Directing Payment Out of the Real Estate Recovery Trust Account.
Need a provider rather than a resource? Request a quote.