Yes. An employee, self-employed contractor, sole proprietor or citizen providing intermediary services uses the general personal-bankruptcy rules. The working model affects records, taxes, contracts and current liabilities but does not remove the right to file.
After completion, Article 213.30 of Law No. 127-FZ restricts taking new credit without disclosing the bankruptcy and participating in the management of legal entities. It contains no general ban on real-estate agency work. A realtor operating through their own company should separately review whether they may remain a director or otherwise participate in management.
Which funds may be disputed?
| Receipt | Potential owner | Bankruptcy risk |
|---|---|---|
| Contractual fee | The realtor once the right to payment arises | Income supported by the contract and agent report |
| Advance for services | Depends on performance and contract terms | Termination may create a client repayment claim |
| Money to be passed to a seller or landlord | Depends on the contract, authority and payment purpose | A personal-account transfer makes ownership harder to prove |
| Deposit or security payment | A party to the proposed transaction under the actual agreement | Poor documentation turns the issue into an ordinary monetary claim |
| Advertising, registry and viewing expenses | The realtor or client under the contract | Receipts, instructions and use reports are needed |
Under Article 1005 of the Civil Code, an agent acts at the principal’s expense either in the agent’s own name or in the client’s name. In the first model rights and obligations toward third parties arise for the agent; in the second they arise directly for the principal. Article 1011 applies mandate or commission rules as appropriate. Saying “this is client money” is therefore insufficient without the contract, authority, agent report, payment records and a traceable trail.
What happens to ongoing client matters?
A realtor’s bankruptcy does not automatically cancel every contract. Review whether services were completed, the fee was earned, documents or funds must be returned and the agreement may be terminated. An unearned-advance repayment may become a creditor claim, while post-filing service income must be disclosed to the insolvency administrator.
Where the realtor is a sole proprietor, business debts and transactions are reviewed, but the citizen is the debtor. For self-employed activity, receipt history and tax receipts should match the contracts. Tax status alone does not turn client funds into the realtor’s own income.
Practical sequence
Classify each contract
Separate services, mandate, commission, agency, transaction support and information-only work.
Match funds to records
For every receipt, identify the payer, legal basis, fee, expenses and balance owed to the client or transaction party.
Complete client reporting
Prepare agent reports, acceptance records, self-employed or cash-register receipts, evidence of results and justified refunds.
Review personal-property transactions
Keep client matters distinct from sales of the realtor’s own property and transfers to relatives, which are reviewed separately.
Give the administrator a complete register
Disclose accounts, agreements and client claims, and separately substantiate amounts that do not belong to the debtor.
Records that reduce disputes
Contract file
Money trail
Service result
Unfinished obligations
Frequently asked questions
May I work as a realtor after bankruptcy?
Will a client’s deposit enter the estate?
What happens to an unearned advance?
May the realtor keep earning fees?
Official sources
- Civil Code Article 1005
- Civil Code Article 1011
- Civil Code Article 996
- Article 213.25 of Law No. 127-FZ
- Article 213.30 of Law No. 127-FZ
Related guides: working after bankruptcy and personal bankruptcy in Russia.
I can review the contracts and fund trail before filing to separate earned fees from third-party amounts and claims.
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