Estate Agents
Precision Intelligence for Real Estate Transactions
Diliguard provides due diligence intelligence for estate agents and brokerages handling high-value property transactions. The engine traces the origin of capital and unmasks the corporate entities purchasing property, closing one of the most common routes for laundering illicit funds through physical assets.
The Compliance Mandate
Under Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 (the AMLR), estate agents are designated obliged entities when acting as an intermediary in the buying or selling of real property, on both the buyer and the seller side of the transaction. High-value real estate remains a primary vehicle for laundering illicit capital precisely because buyers can hide behind layers of offshore shell companies and trusts. Estate agents must complete customer due diligence, identify the beneficial owner at the 25% threshold, screen for sanctions and political exposure, and monitor the transaction on an ongoing basis, facing severe regulatory penalties if they facilitate a sale involving a sanctioned individual or unverified capital.
Diliguard’s Application for Estate Agents
1. Unmasking Corporate Buyers
When a property is purchased by an LLC or trust, Diliguard’s Corporate KYB & Global Registry Checks engine pierces the corporate veil. The system extracts live incorporation data to map the layered ownership structure and identify the exact Ultimate Beneficial Owner initiating the transaction.
2. Sanctions and PEP Screening
Diliguard’s AML Compliance & PEP Screening module cross-references the verified beneficial owner against global watchlists, ensuring the brokerage is not facilitating a transaction for a politically exposed person or an individual under international sanctions.
3. Transaction Risk Scoring on the Wire
Large property transactions arrive as a single wire transfer with no transaction history to compare against. Diliguard’s Transaction Risk Scoring evaluates the transfer against known patterns of layering and structuring, flagging transfers that carry the hallmarks of laundered capital even when the buyer’s identity checks out cleanly.
4. Source of Wealth Tracing
To satisfy AMLR’s enhanced due diligence requirement for high-value transactions, escrow officers use Diliguard’s Executive Person Trace to correlate public financial records and establish the legitimacy of the buyer’s wealth before funds are released.
A Day in the Life: The Escrow Officer
Scenario: An offshore holding company initiates a 15 million euro wire transfer for a luxury commercial property.
- Initial Audit: The escrow officer queries the holding company through Diliguard.
- Data Extraction: The KYB engine unpacks the corporate structure, revealing the holding company is wholly owned by a trust registered in a high-risk jurisdiction.
- Beneficial Owner Screening: Diliguard cross-references the trust’s beneficiaries against global watchlists, identifying a direct link to an individual currently facing international embezzlement charges.
- Resolution: The escrow officer rejects the wire transfer and files a suspicious activity report with the regulatory authorities.