1 What Is Compliance Review?

Compliance Review is Side's in-app document review process. Before any commission can be paid on a transaction — sale, lease, or referral — the file must be reviewed and approved by Side's Compliance team.

It's where you submit executed documents, track their approval status, and respond to any requests for corrections from the compliance auditors. Think of it as your transaction's final quality gate before you get paid.

How to Access Compliance Review

Open any transaction in the Side App and click "Go to Compliance Review" in the upper right corner of the Cover Sheet. If the button reads "Ready for Compliance Review" instead, the compliance file has not been opened yet for that transaction — click it to begin.

2 Submitting for Review

1. Open the transaction in the Side App and go to the Cover Sheet. Click "Ready for Compliance Review."
2. Complete all action items listed on the left side of the compliance screen. Common action items include Prepare Listing, Add Accepted Offer, and commission details. These must be completed before you can submit.
3. Attach your documents to the checklist on the right side. Required checklist items are marked with an *asterisk. The contract and tax record must be uploaded before the Submit button becomes available.
4. Click Submit. The Side Compliance team will begin review within 48 hours of submission.

What You Can Upload Before Submitting

You don't need to wait until you have every document before clicking Submit. Upload what you have and submit — the compliance team will flag what's still outstanding. This is especially useful for time-sensitive transactions approaching close. You can continue adding documents after the initial submission.

3 Working the Checklist

The checklist is your real-time view of what's required, what's been reviewed, and what still needs attention. Understanding how to read and manage it efficiently will save you significant time on every transaction.

Finding Missing Documents

Required documents are marked with an *asterisk on the checklist. Scroll through the right-hand panel to identify any outstanding items. If you're unsure which documents apply to your specific transaction type or state, check the checklist first — it is configured for your exact scenario.

Automatic Assignment vs. Manual Upload

Changing the Checklist

If you've selected the wrong checklist for your transaction type, you can change it:

1. Open the compliance file and navigate to the upper right corner — you'll see a Select Checklist dropdown with your current selection.
2. Click the dropdown and select the correct checklist.
3. Confirm the switch in the pop-up — note that switching may remove documents or comments already added.
4. Re-attach your documents to the new checklist items and resubmit.

Side's Compliance Team may also initiate a checklist change if they determine the selected checklist doesn't match your documents. When this happens, you'll receive an email prompting you to open the app and approve the change.

Adding Notes to the Checklist

TCs can add notes to individual checklist items — this is useful when a document is missing for a legitimate reason, or when a checklist item doesn't apply to your transaction. Add an explanation in the note field so auditors have context when reviewing.

4 Stages & Statuses Explained

Every compliance file moves through a series of stages (where it is in the review process) and carries a status (the current state of the transaction itself). Understanding both helps you know exactly what's happening and what action — if any — is needed from you.

Compliance Stages

Transaction Statuses

Prioritization: How Side Reviews Files

The Compliance team prioritizes reviews based on closing date and submission date. Files with imminent closing dates are reviewed first. Make sure the closing date in your transaction details is always accurate — an incorrect or missing closing date will de-prioritize your file in the review queue.

5 Rejections: Causes & Fixes

When the compliance team rejects a document, they leave a note on the checklist item explaining why. TCs can view the rejection note by opening the checklist in the Side App. Corrected documents are reviewed within 3 business days of resubmission, prioritized by closing date.

Common Rejection Reasons — All States

Common Rejection Reasons — California CA

Common Rejection Reasons — Florida & Texas FL TX

When the Other Side Won't Sign

If you're within 5 days of closing and the other side has not signed required documents, do the following:

1. Upload the documents you have (signed by your side only) to the checklist.
2. Leave a note in the transaction file: "Waiting on signatures from the other side."
3. The Compliance team will reject the file but note the reason — this prevents your file from being penalized for the other side's delay.
4. If the other side continues to refuse: upload a copy showing your side's signatures and upload proof of 3 email requests for signature (to the Misc/Disclosures slot on the checklist). Alternatively, if you CC'd the transaction file email on all correspondence, note the dates and times of the 3 requests in Transaction Notes — auditors will verify the log and approve accordingly.

6 California-Specific Requirements CA

California transactions carry additional document requirements managed through the Multi-CAR checklist. The documents below are required or conditionally required — the compliance team will flag the specific items that apply to your transaction.

7 State-Specific Documents

Settlement Company by State

The party that manages closing varies by state. Use this table to identify who your settlement company is for each transaction location.

Local Disclosure Requirements

Local disclosure requirements vary by municipality, Association of Realtors, and governing body — and can change without notice to Side. For city- or county-specific disclosure questions, contact your local Realtor Association for the most current requirements. If a checklist item doesn't apply to your specific transaction, add a note in the compliance file explaining why.

8 Dual Representation in Compliance

When You Represent Both Buyer and Seller

1. Submit compliance through the Listing side only — do not submit the Offer side separately. This avoids duplicative work.
2. In the compliance file, check the box: "[Agent] represents both the listing and offer clients." This option is only available on the Listing side.
3. Checking this box automatically generates two commission forms — one for each side of the transaction — which you'll complete in the Payments step.

Why You Still Need Both Cover Sheets

Even in a dual representation scenario, both a Listing Cover Sheet and an Offer Cover Sheet are required in the Side App. This is necessary so you can tag documents for all relevant parties (buyer and seller) when sending for signatures — the system currently requires both cover sheets to generate the correct signature fields on each document.

Lease Dual Representation

For leases where you represent both the Landlord and Tenant, select Landlord & Tenant when creating the lease transaction. This keeps everything in one compliance file — only one submission is needed, and one commission form covers both sides.

9 Canceling a Transaction in Compliance

1. Open the compliance file and click the null/cancel symbol (⊘) in the checklist view.
2. From the Transaction Type dropdown, select Listing or Offer to specify what you are canceling.
   Canceling Listing — cancels the compliance review of the file.
   Canceling Offer — cancels the sale. The listing file is reactivated after the cancellation documentation has been reviewed by a compliance specialist.
3. Upload the required cancellation document for your state. The checklist will show the state-specific form name — if you're unsure, refer to the Side App checklist for guidance.
4. Click Request Cancellation in the bottom right corner.

The transaction status changes from Pending to Transaction Cancellation Requested. Once the compliance team reviews and approves the cancellation document, the status moves to Cancelled and the transaction appears in the Cancelled tab.

10 Closing Out the File

After the Transaction Closes

Once your transaction closes, the file enters Closing Hold status. During this window, TCs and admins have until 8 days after close of escrow to upload any remaining documents. After day 8, the file is archived and no further uploads are possible.

The Closing Statement is required for the file to be archived. Make sure the COE date, purchase price, and buyer/seller names on the closing statement match the Cover Sheet exactly.

Automated Closing Reminder Emails

As the closing date approaches, you'll receive automated reminder emails asking you to upload outstanding documents or confirm that closing details (date, sale price) are current. If everything is already uploaded and no details have changed, no action is needed — you can disregard the email.

The Expired Status

A file that shows Expired instead of Closed almost always means the Closing Statement is missing. Upload the final closing statement to move the file from Expired to Closed.

11 Access & Team Visibility

Granting a Team Member Access to Compliance Files

Only the transacting agent can grant compliance access to others. To give a TC, admin, or fellow agent visibility:

1. Click the arrow in the upper right corner of the Side App.
2. Click Account → Team.
3. Toggle the two access buttons to the On position next to the requesting team member's name.

Editing Commission or Transaction Data in Compliance

• Close date or sale price: These come from the Cover Sheet. Navigate back to the Listing or Offer in the Side App and update there — changes flow automatically into the compliance file.
• Commission percentage: In the compliance file, click the info (i) icon → Edit Details under Transaction Details. A pop-up allows you to update commission data directly.

Common Questions