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Code of Ethics and Conduct

Ten binding articles and three levels of sanction — this is what separates an association from a club.

Read the code →

Protecting the seal

Misuse of the seal

The APMLS seal tells the consumer that a professional is accredited today. Anyone using it without holding it — or after losing it — is borrowing trust that is not theirs. This page explains what misuse is, how to check it and how to report it.

48h

First response to a report

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Cases closed in 2026

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Resolved by voluntary removal

What counts as misuse

Not all of it is bad faith. Most cases we receive are oversights — an old website, printed material nobody updated. The handling is the same: we ask for a correction first.

Never accredited

Use of the seal by a professional or company that never completed accreditation.

Expired accreditation

The seal stays on the site or materials after the accreditation lapses or is suspended.

Altered mark

Colours, proportions or wording changed, or the seal combined with another mark to suggest an endorsement that does not exist.

Overstated scope

An individual accreditation presented as covering the whole agency, or a team that was never assessed.

False membership claim

Wording such as “certified by APMLS” or “regulated by APMLS” from a non-member.

Listings and portals

The seal placed on property listings, email signatures or social profiles without an active accreditation.

Improper Ambassador title

Use of the APMLS Ambassador title without appointment, or for personal commercial gain. Coaches, trainers, speakers and event partners are not automatically ambassadors.

Before you report, check

Search the name in the public registry

The registry shows the current status of every accreditation. If it shows as active, there is no misuse.

Click the seal

A legitimate seal is clickable and opens the matching public profile. An image that links nowhere is the first sign.

Confirm the code

Every verifiable seal shows an APMLS-YYYY-NNNNN code. The code must match the name displayed.

Open the public registry →

What happens after a report

Triage

We confirm the accreditation status and preserve evidence of the use. You get a reference within two working days.

Request to correct

The party is contacted in writing and has ten working days to remove or correct the use.

Verification

We re-check the site and the materials listed. If the correction was made the case closes here — and most do.

Escalation

Without a correction the case goes to the Ethics Commission, which decides the measures and whether to publish them.

Measures that may apply

The scale depends on whether the use is an oversight or a deliberate, repeated practice.

Accredited member

Written warning · suspension of the seal for 3 to 12 months · loss of accreditation on repeat.

Former member

Notice for immediate removal and a record of the case in the public profile history.

Non-member

Formal notice and, if it persists, referral to the competent authorities for misleading commercial practice.

APMLS does not issue fines or replace public authorities. What it does is withdraw the seal from those who do not deserve it and give consumers a place to confirm the truth.

Report a misuse

You only need the name or the address where you saw the seal. You may report anonymously — we simply cannot then keep you updated.

Open the form → See the usage rules

An independent non-profit association. We set the rules of real-estate cooperation in Portugal and publicly verify who follows them.

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