Starting March 1, 2026, the Residential Real Estate Rule requires certain professionals involved in real estate closings and settlements to submit reports to FinCEN regarding certain non-financed transfers of residential real estate to legal entities or trusts. The Department of the Treasury has long recognized that the illicit use of residential real estate threatens U.S. economic and national security and can disadvantage those that seek to compete fairly in the U.S. real estate market. This reporting requirement is designed to increase transparency in the U.S. residential real estate sector and to combat and deter money laundering.
On September 30, 2025, FinCEN issued exemptive relief from the requirements of the Residential Real Estate Rule until March 1, 2026. Accordingly, reporting persons are exempt from the requirement to file reports for reportable transfers that close prior to March 1, 2026. See https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-announces-postponement-residential-real-estate-reporting-until-march-1 for more details.
There is no fee for submitting a Real Estate Report (RER) directly to FinCEN through FinCEN’s BSA E-Filing System at https://bsaefiling.fincen.gov.
Reporting persons may use third-party service providers to submit RERs to FinCEN. Those providers might charge fees for their services. Before authorizing a third-party service provider to file a RER with FinCEN, you should: (1) understand the fees for the offered services; and (2) carefully review any terms of service or agreements.
