Pennsylvania lawsuit targets $650 ‘broker fee’ at Keller Williams franchise

A Pennsylvania homebuyer has filed a lawsuit against his broker over a $650 “broker fee” he was charged in conjunction with his October 2023 home purchase. In a complaint filed earlier this week in the Court of Common Pleas of Lancaster County Pennsylvania, Gregory Deivert claims that Keller Williams Elite breached its fiduciary duty to him and violated the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law. Deivert claims that he was charged the $650 broker fee “for nothing.” “The fee had no service behind it, no cost behind it, and no name that accurately describes it,” the filing states. “It is money taken from a client by the broker who was supposed to be looking out for him.” According to the complaint, the fee was first disclosed on the closing statement, a time when the complaint states that a buyer would not refuse to close despite a “cash grab.” The lawsuit alleges that Keller Williams Elite instructs its agents to tell their buyers that the fee is mandatory and covers administrative costs like document preparation. “Preparing those documents is not a service to the client that stands apart from brokerage; it is brokerage,” the suit states. “It is also Defenda...