These are the four steps to renew your Florida real estate license:
After you become a real estate agent or broker in Florida, your license will be active for 18 to 24 months, with the expiration date listed on your license. Even though Florida real estate license renewals are required every two years, there are post-licensing requirements for new agents and brokers that must be completed before the two-year anniversary date.
Since the requirements for the Florida real estate first license renewal are different than subsequent renewals, make sure you read the details to ensure you complete the correct coursework. These are a few different types of Florida real estate license renewal requirements:
As you research how to renew your real estate license in Florida, you’ll quickly notice that there are two types of education requirements: continuing education (CE) and post-licensing. Although the continuing education requirements for agents and brokers are always the same, the first Florida license renewal for real estate agents and brokers has different requirements than the rest.
Pro tip: If you have a 4-year degree or higher in real estate, you may be exempt from the post-licensing requirements. To get this exemption, you must submit your transcripts to the Florida Division of Real Estate.
After your first Florida real estate license renewal, your only requirement for subsequent renewals is to complete 14 hours of continuing education credits every two years. Within these 14 hours, six hours are mandatory courses, and the remaining eight hours can be elective choices. Each Florida real estate agent and broker must take three hours of “Florida Core Law,” and three hours of “Real Estate and Business Ethics.”
If you miss your first renewal deadline, your license will automatically expire. If you want to get a license again in the future, you will have to start the process of getting a Florida real estate license over from the beginning.
On the other hand, if it is not your first time renewing your license and you miss the deadline, your license automatically becomes involuntarily inactive. You cannot participate in real estate transactions without an active license, but you can complete your CE requirements within twelve months to reactivate your license.
If you do not complete and submit your renewal after twelve months, you will have to complete 28 hours of continuing education to reactivate your license. After two years, your license will expire.
Alternatively, you can keep a voluntary inactive real estate license by completing this application. This means that you are still in good standing with your license, but you are not currently aligned with a brokerage or participating in real estate transactions. You can maintain a voluntarily inactive real estate license in Florida for an unlimited amount of time as long as you continue to pay the renewal fee and complete CE every two years. When you choose to reactivate your license, you simply register with a broker.
One of the biggest decisions as you renew your Florida real estate license is choosing the right education provider. Some real estate schools in Florida offer in-person classes, but online courses are extremely popular because of their affordability, convenience, and flexibility.
- Multiple course format options
- Instructor support
- Real estate coaching and professional development
Once you know which courses you need for your Florida real estate license renewal, sign up for classes and make a plan to complete them. Each real estate school provides a different length of time before courses expire, often from six to 12 months.
As you research how to renew a Florida real estate license, remember that all coursework must be completed and submitted before the deadline. Therefore, plan ahead to give yourself ample time to go through the courses, pass the exam, and gather the correct documents.
After you pass your course final exam, you’ll receive a course completion certificate. Make sure you save this document in a secure location since you’ll need it to submit your license renewal request.
Once you have completed all of the Florida real estate sales and broker license renewal requirements, you can submit your renewal request. Your course completion certificate and Florida real estate license renewal fee should be submitted through your online services account with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).
If you do not submit your Florida real estate license renewal fees and documents before the deadline, you will also pay a late fee of $25.
This content was originally published here.
