How to Report a Yacht Broker for Misconduct
Where to file a complaint — state by state, plus federal channels and the Bahamas. Free and plain-English.
Where to file a complaint — state by state, plus federal channels and the Bahamas. Free and plain-English.
Free consumer guide · Updated June 2026 · General information, not legal advice
If a yacht or boat broker lied to you, mishandled your deposit, or took your money, you have places to turn — but where you file depends on the state. Here's the part most people don't know: only Florida and California license yacht brokers. Everywhere else, there's no broker board — your channel is the state Attorney General plus the federal and industry options below. This guide walks you through all of it.
These are the things a regulator, an Attorney General, or a court will actually act on:
Before you file anything, gather these — a complete file is what makes a complaint stick:
If your broker was licensed in (or operating in) Florida or California, file directly with the state regulator that issued the license. They can investigate, fine, and suspend or revoke the license. Verify the broker's license first so you can name them and cite their number.
Department of Business and Professional Regulation · Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares & Mobile Homes · Yacht and Ship Brokers' Act, Ch. 326, Fla. Stat.
Handles: unlicensed activity, escrow/trust-account violations, misrepresentation, fraud, and dishonest conduct by Florida yacht brokers. Not private commission/contract disputes.
A division of California State Parks · Yacht and Ship Brokers Act, Harbors & Navigation Code §§ 700–754
Handles: unlicensed activity, trust/escrow mishandling, missing required written agreements/disclosures, and misrepresentation by California yacht brokers. Jurisdiction is defined by H&N Code § 701 — check it fits, and use the CA Attorney General (below) for fraud outside DBW's reach.
Outside Florida and California, no state licenses yacht brokers, so there's no board to discipline one. Your channel is your state Attorney General's consumer-protection division (a separate consumer agency in a few states), alleging deceptive or unfair trade practices — no broker license required for them to act. They typically mediate and build enforcement patterns; they usually won't recover money for one person, so pair this with the federal channels below. File where the broker operates, or where you live.
.gov page. A few offices only take complaints involving an
in-state resident or business.Because most states have no broker regulator, these do the heavy lifting everywhere else. Use them in addition to a state channel.
Handles: scams and deceptive practices, from any state. Feeds the Consumer Sentinel database law enforcement uses to spot patterns. Won't resolve your individual dispute or recover money.
Handles: wire fraud and online scams — the right channel specifically when money was wired (fake or spoofed escrow instructions). Report fast; it can sometimes help freeze funds.
Handles: fraud in a documented vessel's federal title record — forged bills of sale, unauthorized transfer, title-washing. Order an Abstract of Title to see true ownership and liens.
.mil site. Lookalike .com/.us/.org "documentation services" are private upsells, not the government.Handles: Code-of-Ethics violations only if the broker is an IYBA member. Big limits: it's built mainly for member-vs-member disputes, a consumer's complaint is heard at the committee's discretion, and IYBA cannot revoke a state license or order a refund. If the broker isn't a member, IYBA has no role at all — check the member directory first.
Handles: informal mediation — BBB forwards your complaint to the business, seeks a voluntary response, and posts it on the business's profile. It can't fine or compel anything, and won't take matters already in litigation. No anonymous complaints.
Handles: the only path that can order a refund or rescind a deal — recovering a deposit, damages for misrepresentation/breach, or challenging a title/lien. Agencies build pressure; a court (or settlement) compels repayment.
For smaller losses, file in your state's small-claims court (no lawyer needed; dollar limits vary by state). For a high-value yacht, title/lien fraud, or escrow/cross-border issues, hire a maritime/admiralty attorney — and act before your state's statute of limitations runs out.
The Bahamas does not license or regulate yacht brokers — there's no broker board and no agency that polices broker conduct. So there's no single regulator to report to. Use these instead. (If any part of the deal touched a U.S. bank, escrow, Florida, or California, the U.S. channels above may also apply.)
Handles: unfair or deceptive treatment of a consumer who bought in The Bahamas — misrepresentation, refusal to honour terms, deposit/refund disputes. It mediates/enforces consumer rights; it can't de-license a broker (no such licence exists). High-value yacht-sale contract disputes may fall outside everyday consumer protection.
Handles: actual crime — a stolen/misappropriated deposit, money by false pretense, forged title/documents, advance-fee scams, a broker who takes payment and disappears. Use this when it's theft/fraud, not just a contract dispute.
Call the RBPF general line, ask to file a fraud report / be referred to the Financial Crimes Investigation Branch in Nassau, give a written statement in person with all evidence, and get the report reference number.
Handles: the realistic way to actually recover money or rescind a deal — breach of contract, return of deposit, misrepresentation, or fraud. An attorney can send a demand letter and, if needed, sue in the Magistrate's Court (smaller sums) or the Supreme Court of The Bahamas. For a high-value dispute this is usually the avenue with real teeth.
Listed only so you don't waste time: the BMA registers Bahamian-flagged vessels and handles flag-state safety. It does not handle yacht sales, broker conduct, deposits, or buyer/seller disputes. Use Consumer Affairs, the RBPF Financial Crimes branch, or a Bahamian attorney instead.
Only Florida (DBPR) and California (Division of Boating and Waterways). Every other state has no yacht-broker regulator, so you go through the state Attorney General's consumer-protection division.
Usually not on its own. Regulators, the FTC, FBI IC3, and the BBB investigate, discipline, or mediate — they generally can't order a refund. To recover money you typically need small-claims court, a maritime attorney, or a settlement. File the complaints to build the record, and pursue the money in parallel.
If you wired money, file with the FBI IC3 immediately and call your bank to request a wire recall. Then file with the state regulator (FL/CA) or your Attorney General, and the FTC. For the money itself, talk to a maritime attorney or small-claims court.
Generally no. A disagreement over a commission or a contract term, with no deception or escrow violation, is a civil matter — small-claims or court — not something a regulator will take.
Often yes — Florida DBPR and the FTC accept anonymous reports, and California DBW lets you request anonymity. The BBB does not take anonymous complaints. Note that complaints can be public records in some states.
YachtBazar is FSBO-first — most boats are listed by their owners, every listing is badged FSBO, Broker or Dealer, and there is never a commission.
Important: This guide is general consumer information, not legal advice,
and YachtBazar is not a law firm, a government agency, or a regulator. Agency names, web addresses, phone numbers, procedures,
and statutes change and vary by situation — always confirm the current details on the agency's own official website before you
file, and make sure you're on the genuine government site (for example, the only real U.S. Coast Guard documentation center is
on a .mil address). Filing a complaint does not by itself recover your money or guarantee an outcome — most of
these bodies investigate patterns or mediate voluntarily and cannot order a refund. Only a court or a negotiated settlement can
compel repayment, and legal claims are subject to deadlines (statutes of limitations) that differ by state and claim type. For
a high-value yacht, a disputed title or lien, escrow/wire fraud, or a cross-border transaction, consult a licensed attorney
(ideally a maritime/admiralty attorney) in the relevant jurisdiction. Nothing here creates an attorney-client relationship.