Licensing

Qualifications/Requirements

Every applicant to the Real Estate Board for an individual salesperson's or broker's license shall have the following qualifications:

1. The applicant shall have a good reputation for honesty, truthfulness, and fair dealing, and be competent to transact the business of a real estate broker or a real estate salesperson in such a manner as to safeguard the interests of the public.

2. The applicant shall meet the current educational requirements by achieving a passing grade in all required courses of § 54.1-2105 of the Code of Virginia prior to the time the applicant sits for the licensing examination and applies for licensure.

3. The applicant shall be in good standing as a licensed real estate broker or salesperson in every jurisdiction where licensed and the applicant shall not have had a license as a real estate broker or real estate salesperson which was suspended, revoked or surrendered in connection with a disciplinary action or which has been the subject of discipline in any jurisdiction prior to applying for licensure in Virginia. The applicant shall be in compliance with all the terms of all board orders, including but not limited to paying imposed monetary penalties and costs, plus any accrued interest and other fees, and completing imposed education.

4. In accordance with § 54.1-204 of the Code of Virginia, each applicant shall submit to fingerprinting and shall disclose the following information:

a. All misdemeanor convictions involving moral turpitude, sexual offense, non-marijuana drug distribution, or physical injury within five years of the date of the application; and

b. All felony convictions during his lifetime.

Any plea of nolo contendere shall be considered a conviction for purposes of this subsection. The record of a conviction received from a court shall be accepted as prima facie evidence of a conviction or finding of guilt. The board, in its discretion, may deny licensure to any applicant in accordance with § 54.1-204 of the Code of Virginia

5. The applicant shall be at least 18 years old.

6. The applicant shall have a high school diploma or its equivalent.

7. The applicant, within 12 months prior to submitting a complete application for a license, shall have passed a written examination provided by the board or by a testing service acting on behalf of the board.

8. The applicant shall follow all procedures established with regard to conduct at the examination. Failure to comply with all procedures established with regard to conduct at the examination may be grounds for denial of application.

9. Applicants for licensure who do not meet the requirements set forth in subdivisions 3 and 4 of this section may be approved for licensure following consideration by the board.

Broker’s Supervisory Requirements

Each place of business, each branch office, and each real estate team shall be supervised by a supervising broker. The supervising broker shall exercise reasonable and adequate supervision of the provision of real estate brokerage services by associate brokers and salespersons assigned to the branch office or real estate team. The supervising broker may designate another broker to assist in administering the provisions required by this section, but such designation does not relieve the supervising broker of responsibility for the supervision of the acts of all licensees assigned to the branch office or real estate team. Factors to be considered in determining whether the supervision is reasonable and adequate include the following:

1. The availability of the supervising broker to all licensees under the supervision of the broker to review and approve all documents, including leases, contracts affecting the firm's clients, brokerage agreements, and advertising;

2. The availability of training and written procedures and policies that provide, without limitation, clear guidance in the following areas:

a. Proper handling of escrow deposits;

b. Compliance with federal and state fair housing laws and regulations if the firm engages in residential brokerage, residential leasing, or residential property management;

c. Advertising;

d. Negotiating and drafting of contracts, leases, and brokerage agreements;

e. Use of unlicensed individuals;

f. Agency or independent contractor relationships;

g. Distribution of information on new or changed statutory or regulatory requirements;

h. Disclosure of matters relating to the condition of the property; and

i. Such other matters as necessary to assure the competence of licensees to comply with this chapter and Chapter 21 (§ 54.1-2100 et seq.) of Title 54.1 of the Code of Virginia.

3. The availability of the supervising broker in a timely manner to supervise the management of the brokerage services;

4. The supervising broker ensures the brokerage services are carried out competently and in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and Chapter 21 (§ 54.1-2100 et seq.) of Title 54.1 of the Code of Virginia;

5. The supervising broker undertakes reasonable steps to ensure compliance by all licensees assigned to the branch office, including ensuring the licensees have an active, current license;

6. The supervising broker undertakes reasonable steps to ensure only licensees undertake activities requiring a license, including:

a. Show property;

b. Hold an open house;

c. Answer questions on listings, title, financing, closing, contracts, brokerage agreements, and legal documents;

d. Discuss, explain, interpret, or negotiate a contract, listing, lease agreement, or property management agreement with anyone outside the firm; and

e. Negotiate or agree to any commission, commission split, management fee, or referral fee.

7. The supervising broker shall provide adequate supervision over the unlicensed employees or assistants under the supervision of a broker as they perform the following permitted activities:

a. Perform general clerical duties, including answering the phones, responding by electronic media, and providing information shown on the listing;

b. Submit listings and changes to MLS;

c. Follow up on loan commitments after contracts have been ratified;

d. Have keys made for listings;

e. Compute commission checks;

f. Place signs on properties;

g. Act as a courier service;

h. Schedule appointments;

i. Record and deposit earnest money deposits, security deposits, and advance rents;

j. Prepare contract forms for approval of the licensee and supervising broker;

k. Prepare promotional materials and advertisements for approval of the licensee and supervising broker;

l. Assemble closing documents;

m. Obtain required public information from governmental entities;

n. Monitor license and personnel files;

o. Order routine repairs as directed by licensee;

p. Receive compensation for their work at a predetermined rate that is not contingent upon the occurrence of a real estate transaction; and

q. Perform any other activities undertaken in the regular course of business for which a license is not required.

8. If a supervising broker is located more than 50 miles from the place of business or the branch office and there are licensees who regularly conduct business assigned to the branch office or at the place of business, the supervising broker must certify in writing on a quarterly basis on a form provided by the board that the supervising broker complied with the requirements of this section;

9. The supervising broker must maintain the records required in this section for three years. The records must be furnished to the board's agent upon request;

10. The supervising broker ensures that affiliated real estate teams or business entities are operating in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and Chapter 21 (§ 54.1-2100 et seq.) of Title 54.1 of the Code of Virginia; and all felony convictions during his lifetime.

11. The supervising broker ensures that all brokerage agreements include the name and contact information of the supervising broker.

Disciplinary Procedures and Sanctions

A. The powers and duties of regulatory boards shall be as follows:

1. To establish the qualifications of applicants for certification or licensure by any such board, provided that all qualifications shall be necessary to ensure either competence or integrity to engage in such profession or occupation.

2. To examine, or cause to be examined, the qualifications of each applicant for certification or licensure within its particular regulatory system, including when necessary the preparation, administration and grading of examinations.

3. To certify or license qualified applicants as practitioners of the particular profession or occupation regulated by such board.

4. To levy and collect fees for certification or licensure and renewal that are sufficient to cover all expenses for the administration and operation of the regulatory board and a proportionate share of the expenses of the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation and the Board for Professional and Occupational Regulation.

5. To promulgate regulations in accordance with the Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq.) necessary to assure continued competency, to prevent deceptive or misleading practices by practitioners and to effectively administer the regulatory system administered by the regulatory board. The regulations shall not be in conflict with the purposes and intent of this chapter or of Chapters 1 (§ 54.1-100 et seq.) and 3 (§ 54.1-300 et seq.) of this title.

6. To ensure that inspections are conducted relating to the practice of each practitioner certified or licensed by the regulatory board to ensure that the practitioner is conducting his practice in a competent manner and within the lawful regulations promulgated by the board.

7. To place a regulant on probation or revoke, suspend or fail to renew a certificate or license for just causes as enumerated in regulations of the board. Conditions of probation may include, but not be limited to the successful completion of remedial education or examination.

8. To receive complaints concerning the conduct of any regulant and to take appropriate disciplinary action if warranted.

9. To provide a regulant subject to a disciplinary action with a notice advising the regulant of his right to be heard at an informal fact-finding conference pursuant to § 2.2-4019 of the Administrative Process Act. The notice shall state that if the regulant does not request an informal fact-finding conference within 30 days of receipt of the notice, the board may issue a case decision as defined in § 2.2-4001, with judicial review of the case decision in accordance with § 2.2-4026. If the regulant asserts his right to be heard prior to the board issuing its case decision, the board shall remand the case to an informal fact-finding conference. The notice required by this subdivision shall be sent in a manner that allows for confirmation of delivery or, if agreed to by the parties, through electronic means, provided that the board retains sufficient proof of the electronic delivery, which may be an electronic receipt of delivery, a confirmation that the notice was sent by facsimile, or a certificate of service prepared by the sender confirming the electronic delivery.

10. To promulgate canons of ethics under which the professional activities of regulants shall be conducted.

B. A regulant shall furnish, upon the request of a person to whom the regulant is providing or offering to provide service, satisfactory proof that the regulant (i) is duly licensed, certified, or registered under this subtitle and (ii) has obtained any required bond or insurance to engage in his profession or occupation.

C. As used in this section, "regulant" means any person, firm, corporation, association, partnership, joint venture, or any other legal entity required by this subtitle to be licensed, certified, or registered.

Record keeping requirements

The settlement agent shall retain records pertaining to each settlement handled for a minimum of five years after the settlement is completed. The appropriate licensing authority may prescribe the specific record entries and documents to be kept.

Real Estate Activities requiring license

Show property;
Hold an open house;
Answer questions on listings, title, financing, contracts, brokerage agreements, legal documents;
Discuss, explain, interpret, or negotiate a contract, listing, lease agreement, or property management agreement with anyone outside the firm; and
Negotiate or agree to any commission, commission split, management fee, or referral fee.

Post-License Education (PLE) Curriculum

Section 54.1-2105.01 of the Code of Virginia requires all active new salesperson licensees to complete a Board-approved 30-hour post-license education (PLE) curriculum within one year from the last day of the month in which the license was issued in order to remain on active status.

Failure to complete these 30 hours of PLE within the one year will result in automatic placement of your license on inactive status.

Fair Housing, ADA and Civil Rights (2 hours)
Real Estate Law and Regulations (6 hours)
Ethics and Standards of Conduct (3 hours)
Current Industry Issues and Trends (2 hours)
Agency Law (3 hours)
Contract Writing (6 hours)
Risk Management (3 hours)
Escrow Requirements (3 hours)
Real Estate-Related Finance (2 hours)

Continuing education

Experienced Salespersons must complete 16 hours of Continuing Education to renew their licenses. Of these 16 hours, renewing experienced salespersons must take:

Three (3) hours in Ethics & Standards of Conduct;
Two (2) hours in Fair Housing;
One (1) hour in Legal Updates and Emerging Trends;
One (1) hour in Real Estate Agency; and
One (1) hour in Real Estate Contracts.

The remaining 8 hours for both brokers and experienced salespersons may be in Real Estate Related Subjects (electives) or in the required Continuing Education subjects already referenced. These Continuing Education requirements also apply to inactive brokers and experienced salespersons who apply to activate their licenses.

License transfer

A. Any inactive licensee may activate that license with a licensed real estate firm or sole proprietorship by completing an activate form prescribed by the board. A licensee who submits an activate application to the board shall not conduct business with the real estate firm or sole proprietorship set forth in the application until the application is processed and the license is issued by the board. Continuing education pursuant to § 54.1-2105.03 of the Code of Virginia shall be completed within two years prior to activation of a license when the license has been inactive for more than 30 days. Any licensee who has not been active with a licensed real estate firm or sole proprietorship for a period of greater than three years shall be required to meet the existing pre-license educational requirements.

B. Any licensee may transfer from one licensed real estate firm or sole proprietorship to another by completing and submitting to the board a transfer application and the fee as set forth in 18VAC135-20-80. The transfer application shall include the signature of the new principal broker or supervising broker with signature authority who will be responsible for the licensee's real estate activities and shall be effective upon the principal broker or supervising broker's execution of the transfer application.

Informing Board of changes

Salespersons and individual brokers shall at all times keep the board informed of their current name and home address. Changes of name and address must be reported to the board in writing within 30 calendar days of such change.