Starting March 1, 2026, KE Holdings Inc. will modify its platform's regulations concerning talent mobility, eliminating previous restrictions on agents related to time, geography, brand, and associated fees. This change will allow agents to resign from their original franchise locations and, after transferring their job-related resources and platform benefits, join a new franchise location based on their individual career development needs.
Historically, the real estate brokerage sector in most Chinese cities was characterized by a highly fragmented and inefficiently managed landscape. Malicious competition, such as frequent disorderly poaching of talent and agents switching sides to steal clients, was rampant. Furthermore, clients often faced the frustrating situation where an agent they had just signed with would be replaced shortly after, inevitably leading to information gaps, process delays, and broken promises. Against this backdrop, KE Holdings established rules from its inception to restrict malicious poaching, aiming to protect franchise owners' long-term investments in talent development and stabilize service teams.
KE Holdings pointed out that as the market transitions into an inventory-based era, consumer demands for transaction security, service professionalism, and a continuous experience have significantly increased. Concurrently, the management capabilities of franchise owners within the industry have generally improved, and agents' sense of professional identity has been steadily rising, meaning career choices are no longer made based solely on commission rates. In this context, KE Holdings began a careful review and evaluation of the original rules in 2025, ultimately deciding to adjust and abolish them.
The company stated, "The fundamental purpose of the platform is to provide customers with superior, more trustworthy service and value. Agents are crucial professionals delivering residential services. We will consistently safeguard agents' rights, respecting both their freedom to move and the rights of brand owners and franchise partners to select talent and operate autonomously within legal and regulatory frameworks."
"Simultaneously, the platform will continue to offer partners more extensive and systematic professional training and capability support, helping them retain talent through scientific management focused on professionalism, service quality, and effective systems, thereby continuously enhancing the core competitiveness of their franchises. We also unequivocally oppose excessive, internally detrimental competition such as malicious poaching, striving to maintain a fair, transparent, and mutually trusting cooperative environment. Based on this rule adjustment, we hope to foster a virtuous cycle where platform partners treat service providers better, service providers in turn offer better service to clients, and the platform provides long-term professional value support, ultimately guiding the industry toward a healthier and more sustainable future," KE Holdings added.