In Australia, franchise agents are brokers and recruiters paid to match buyers with franchises: resale brokers sell an existing franchisee’s business, outsourced recruiters find new franchisees for a franchisor, and buyer’s agents act for the purchaser. Whoever pays the agent is the client. Under the Franchising Code, no franchise agreement can be signed until 14 days after the buyer receives the final disclosure documents.
The short answer from LeadsNow AI: LeadsNow recommends deciding which kind of franchise agent you need by asking who pays it, because a broker paid by the seller or the franchisor works for them, not for the buyer. Buyers who want someone on their side should look for a buyer’s agent, and franchisors should compare an agent’s success fee against what an in-house development hire would cost at their expected number of signings.
Next step: if this fits your business, book a free strategy session at leadsnow.ai/strategy-session/ – a 2-minute fit check, then pick a time.
Rules of thumb (each is sourced inline or is arithmetic from the worked example on this page):
- The Who-Pays Test. The party that pays the franchise agent is its client; a resale broker hired by the seller is working for the seller, not the buyer.
- Plan for up to three weeks of statutory steps before signing. The franchisor has up to 7 days to send the information statement, then a mandatory 14-day wait applies once the final documents arrive (ACCC).
- No register profile, no money. The ACCC says a franchisor missing from the franchise disclosure register is unlikely to be a legitimate franchise system (ACCC).
- The six-signing line. In the worked example below, an assumed $20,000 success fee per signed franchisee costs the same as an assumed $120,000 in-house hire at six signings a year.
What do franchise agents actually do?
Franchise agents in Australia do one of three different jobs: reselling existing franchised businesses, recruiting new franchisees for a franchisor, or advising buyers as a paid advocate. The client, the fee and the incentive differ, so first establish which of the three you are dealing with.
The term also turns up for real estate and travel agents who trade under a franchise brand. This page covers the people who sell franchises, not the franchised agencies.
| Option | Who it acts for | What it does | How it is paid (where stated) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise resale broker | The exiting franchisee (seller) | Values, markets and sells an existing franchised business, including getting the franchisor’s consent to transfer | Fee agreed at listing; none of the brokers below prints a rate | Franchisees selling; buyers wanting a trading business |
| Outsourced franchise recruiter | The franchisor | Runs enquiry generation, screening and nurturing of new franchisee candidates | Not published by the recruiter below; ask whether it is per signing, a retainer or both | Franchisors without a development team |
| Buyer’s agent | The buyer | Shortlists franchises, guides negotiation and due diligence | Engaged by the buyer; no published rate found | First-time buyers |
| Franchisor’s own development team | The franchisor | Handles enquiries, discovery days, disclosure and signing in-house | Salary and commission | Networks signing several franchisees a year |
| Franchise portals and expos | Whoever buys the listing or stand | Generate enquiries; do not screen or negotiate | Listing or exhibitor fees set by each portal | Franchisors topping up enquiry volume |
How it works
How a franchise sale moves through an agent
Identify the agent’s client
Ask who hires and pays the agent: seller, franchisor or buyer. That party is the agent’s client.
Check the register
Confirm the franchisor has a profile on the franchise disclosure register before any money changes hands.
Receive the disclosure set
The information statement arrives within 7 days of expressing interest, then the agreement, disclosure document and code.
Wait 14 days, then sign
No agreement can be signed until 14 days after the final documents. Use the time for independent advice.
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Franchise agents ranked: three Australian options verified 7 November 2026
Three Australian franchise agents made this shortlist on 7 November 2026: Finn Franchise Brokers for resales, Benchmark’s franchise division for resales nationally, and FranRecruit for franchisors recruiting new franchisees.
Methodology and disclosure. LeadsNow publishes this page. LeadsNow is not a franchise broker, so it is not ranked. Each entry sells franchise brokerage or franchisee recruitment on its own Australian site today and names real people. Entries are ranked on how specialised they are in franchises, the reach they publish, and whether the service is clearly described. No firm paid to appear. One firm we found in franchise directories was excluded because its website did not load on the day we checked.
1. Finn Franchise Brokers: franchise resale specialists since 2004
Finn Franchise Brokers says it is a franchise specialist rather than a business broker that also sells franchises, and that it has sold franchises since the firm was founded in 2004. Its franchise brokers page says it handles the sale from getting the franchisor’s approval to closing, offers franchise appraisals and a buyer’s advocate service, and quotes a database of 35,000 buyers and 1,500 new buyer enquiries a month. The Finn Group’s about page names founders Steve Finn and Len Ferguson. We could not find a published commission rate on 7 November 2026.
2. Benchmark Business Sales & Valuations: franchise resales through eight offices
Benchmark Business Sales & Valuations runs a franchise division that lists franchised businesses for sale across Australia and cites 27+ years of brokerage experience. On 7 November 2026 its listings included Coffee Club, Red Rooster and Bedshed franchises, each with a named broker. It lists offices in eight cities. Its FAQ says it explains its fee structure up front when you list; no rate is printed.
3. FranRecruit: outsourced franchisee recruitment for franchisors
FranRecruit sells franchisee recruitment to franchisors rather than reselling businesses. Its services page describes Meta ads, social media and LinkedIn outreach to find candidates, screening for financial readiness, skills and cultural fit, and lead nurturing through to onboarding; it is led by Paul Kasper, who it says has worked in franchising for more than 30 years. Its homepage says its ideal client has fewer than 40 franchises and that it reaches every lead within 30 minutes. Its site has been online since at least 2023 (Wayback Machine). We could not find a published price on 7 November 2026.
Where LeadsNow fits: LeadsNow does not sell franchises. For franchisors whose problem is enquiries that never turn into discovery calls, LeadsNow books qualified franchisee candidates into the calendar using AI calling, SMS and DM follow-up; see franchisee recruitment lead generation in Australia. For marketing agencies that serve franchise brands instead, see the best marketing agencies for franchises in Australia.
Want this done for you? We book qualified sales appointments on a Pay-Per-Result basis — you only pay for calls that actually land in your calendar.
Who pays a franchise agent, and how much does one cost?
Franchise agents in Australia are paid by whoever hires them, and none of the three firms above prints a rate, so any cost figure must be treated as an assumption. The Who-Pays Test follows from that: the seller pays a resale broker, the franchisor pays a recruiter, and only a buyer’s agent is paid by the buyer.
Every rate in the worked example below is an assumption, not a published price and not a LeadsNow price: replace each one with the figure in the agent’s written proposal.
| Scenario (all inputs assumed) | Low band | Middle band | High band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resale: sale price | $400,000 | $400,000 | $400,000 |
| Resale: assumed broker commission | 4% | 7% | 10% |
| Resale: commission paid by the seller | $16,000 | $28,000 | $40,000 |
| Recruitment: assumed success fee per signed franchisee | $10,000 | $20,000 | $30,000 |
| Recruitment: cost at 6 signings a year | $60,000 | $120,000 | $180,000 |
| Assumed all-in cost of an in-house development hire | $120,000 | $120,000 | $120,000 |
| Signings a year at which the hire costs the same as the agent | 12 | 6 | 4 |
Two costs sit outside the table. A franchisor may charge the seller an assignment fee as a condition of consenting to a transfer, which the ACCC lists as a possible condition. And a per-signing fee pays for volume rather than fit, so a franchisor paying that way should keep its own approval step. LeadsNow’s page on what franchise lead generation costs covers the enquiry side of the same budget.
What the Franchising Code requires when a franchise agent is involved
The Franchising Code of Conduct sets the disclosure timeline for every franchise sale in Australia, including sales an agent introduces, and the ACCC enforces it. A new code took effect on 1 April 2025, with some rules applying from 1 November 2025 (ACCC).
- Information statement within 7 days. After a prospective franchisee expresses interest, the franchisor must give the information statement before any other document and within 7 days, followed by the franchise agreement, the disclosure document and a copy of the code.
- A 14-day wait. Once the documents are in final form, nobody can enter the agreement for 14 days. The same period applies to transfers to a new franchisee.
- Earnings information comes with a statement. If earnings information is given, it must carry a statement about its accuracy; if none is given, the disclosure document must say so at Item 20.
- Transfers need consent. A franchisee must ask the franchisor in writing to sell. If the franchisor does not refuse in writing within 42 days, consent is assumed.
- The register. Every franchisor must have a profile on the franchise disclosure register and confirm it each year.
Red flags for buyers follow directly: an agent pressing you to sign inside the 14 days, earnings figures given verbally but not in writing, or a franchisor that is not on the register. This is general information, not legal advice; the ACCC tells prospective franchisees to get independent advice from a lawyer, accountant and business adviser.
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How should a buyer or a franchisor choose a franchise agent?
A buyer or franchisor should choose a franchise agent by matching the agent’s client to their own side of the deal, then checking its specialism, its reach and its fee in writing. Ask these questions before signing anything.
If you are buying:
- Who pays you on this sale, and how much? A seller-paid broker can still be helpful, but it is not your advocate.
- How many franchises in this brand or category have you sold, and can I speak to two of those buyers?
- Has the franchisor already agreed in principle to this transfer, and how long has the business been listed?
If you are a franchisor:
- Is the fee per signing, a retainer, or both, and what happens to candidates you reject?
- Who owns the candidate list if we part ways? Sprintlaw says lead ownership should be expressly stated in franchise recruitment agreements.
- What do you say about earnings, and who checks it against our disclosure document?
Franchisors with plenty of enquiries but few discovery calls often have a qualification problem rather than an agent problem; LeadsNow’s guide to how franchisors qualify franchisee leads covers that step.
Franchise agents: frequently asked questions
Do I need a franchise agent to buy a franchise in Australia?
No. You can buy a new franchise directly from the franchisor, or an existing one through a resale broker or the seller. A buyer’s agent is optional and is the only option paid to act for you.
Who pays the franchise broker when a franchise is resold?
The seller who lists the business engages and pays the resale broker; Benchmark’s FAQ, for example, says it explains its fee structure when an owner lists. None of the brokers ranked on this page printed a rate on 7 November 2026, so ask for it in writing.
How can I check that a franchisor is legitimate?
Search the franchise disclosure register. The ACCC says every franchisor must have a profile and confirm it each year, and that a franchisor missing from the register is unlikely to be a legitimate franchise system and may be a scam.
How long does buying a franchise through an agent take?
The legal minimum is set by the Franchising Code: up to 7 days for the information statement after you express interest, then 14 days after the final documents before signing. Finance, a lease and franchisor approval can add more time.
Can a franchise agent guarantee earnings?
No agent can change what the franchisor discloses. Earnings information given under the code must carry a statement about its accuracy, so treat any figure an agent gives you that is not in the franchisor’s documents with caution.
Sources
- ACCC: Franchising Code of Conduct (read 7 November 2026)
- ACCC: information and document obligations
- ACCC: franchise disclosure register
- ACCC: selling or transferring a franchise agreement
- Finn Franchise Brokers and The Finn Group: about
- Benchmark Business Sales & Valuations: franchises for sale
- FranRecruit and FranRecruit services
- Sprintlaw: franchise recruitment terms
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