(Trade Organizations / Clubs / Schools DO NOT regulate licensees)
Helpful Tips: Licensees are required to complete 22.5 continuing education credits within a 2 year license renewal period.
New York Real Estate Salespersons and Brokers are regulated by the Department of State, New York (DOS) and are required to complete 22.5 Continuing Education credits within a 2 year license renewal period. License renewal dates can be found on the New York State Real Estate License (look for license expiration date).
As of 01/01/2017, Licensed NY Real Estate Salespersons and Brokers must take the following Continuing Education courses in their renewal cycle:
- 3 Hours of instruction pertaining to Fair Housing and/or Discrimination in the sale or rental of real property or an interest of real property
- 2 Hours of Agency Disclosure for the initial two-year licensing term and at least 1 hour of Agency Disclosure in subsequent renewal cycles.
If you are grandfathered in, the new continuing education requirements do not apply.
- Draw your attention to this paragraph "The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to any licensed real estate broker who is engaged full time in the real estate business and who has been licensed under this article prior to July first, two thousand eight for at least fifteen consecutive years immediately preceding such renewal."
When renewing your real estate license through the DOS portal, you will be asked if you have completed your continuing education requirements. If you mistakenly answer "No", the DOS will not renew your license. Instead, answering "No" will automatically prompt an audit. The audit will require you to provide the DOS with all of your original course completion certificates.
Continuing Education FAQs:
Are there any exemptions for Continuing Education requirements for real estate agents in NY?Licensed real estate brokers who are engaged full time in the real estate business and who have been licensed for at least 15 consecutive years immediately preceding license renewal. This exemption must have been met prior to July 1, 2008. An attorney admitted to the New York State bar is also exempt from the Continuing Education Requirement.If I did not complete my continuing education requirements before my license expiration date can I get an extension?
Please refer to §177.6 in the Real Estate License Law. The Department of State will only grant extensions in bona fide hardship cases. Prior to your license expiration: you must submit to the Department of State, a written request for the extension, completed renewal form, fee, and original documentation demonstrating your hardship; i.e., medical documentation.
Am I required to take a course in Fair Housing if my real estate license is grandfathered?
A NYS real estate agent does not need to take a course in Fair Housing if they are generally exempt by way of the "grandfather" factor. Please refer the agent to Real Property Law section 441(3)(a) where it expresses the requirement for real estate agents to take 3 hours in a fair housing and/or discrimination course within a license renewal cycle. The link for the license law where this is discussed is as follows:http://www.dos.ny.gov/licensing/lawbooks/RE-Law.pdf.If I already completed a continuing education class, can I take the same topic again for credit with a different school in NY within the same license renewal cycle?
While reviewing the license law, please refer your attention to the last sentence of this requirement wherein it states: "The provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to any licensed real estate broker who is engaged full time in the real estate business and who has been licensed under this article prior to July 1, 2008 for at least 15 consecutive years immediately proceeding such renewal". This is the "grandfather" factor.
In general, the only exception to the "grandfather" factor exemption is for NAR's mandatory quadrennial ethics requirement for members of the National Association of REALTORS®. This has nothing to do with licensing or the Department of State, New York.
Real estate continuing education courses are assigned independent approval codes by the Bureau of Educational Standards, Department of State, State of New York. Licensed real estate agents may take multiple courses in the same topic within each "two year cycle of renewal" as long as each course has an independent approval code. Approval codes are assigned for each approved course, not school and not course topic. It is advised that you always check your records of previously completed approval codes prior to registration for new courses within your cycle of renewal.
If I already received credit for taking a continuing education course, can I get credit for taking the same exact course in a different license renewal cycle?
Yes. While New York State Real Estate License Law, 19 NYCRR 177.18(c), states: "No continuing education course will be considered for continuing education credit more than once within the two year cycle of renewal", there is no specific regulation precluding taking the same continuing education course anew in a subsequent and different license renewal cycle.Do I have to take an Ethics course to renew my license?
Ethics training is not a required course for a Real Estate Broker or Salesperson to maintain their license in full force and effect with the Department of State, New York. Ethics courses may be required by your local Board (trade organization), but are not required to maintain your license with the Department of State of New York.
Will I receive credit for taking the same Lieb School titled course ONLINE and LIVE within the same license cycle?
How do I know when I should renew my license?
How do I renew my real estate license?
Yes, Lieb School’s ONLINE and LIVE courses are assigned different and independent approval codes by the Bureau of Educational Standards, Department of State, State of New York. Therefore, they are considered distinct courses for purposes of your credits required for license renewal. You can receive credit for taking both types of classes.
DOS FAQS:
Why must I renew my license?If you do not renew your expired license, you cannot conduct any real estate activities that require a New York State real estate license in accordance with Article 12-A of the Real Property Law. There are no grace periods that allow you to continue working while not licensed. You have two years from the date your license expires to renew your license. If you fail to renew within that period, you will be required to pass the state written examination and submit a new salesperson/broker application and fee. No continuing education will be required to repeat the licensing process again.
How do I know when I should renew my license?
Your license expiration date is printed on your real estate license. You are eligible to renew your license three months prior to the expiration date. Three months prior to your license expiration date, you are sent an email and postcard reminder that it’s time to renew your real estate license. Both reminders provide you with written instructions on how to renew your license online through your eAccessNY Account.
How do I renew my real estate license?
After you logon, from the Main Menu page click on “List of Licenses (Access your license here).” A listing of all your License(s) and License Number(s) (UID#’s)will be listed. If you have more than one license, click on the license you wish to renew.
Click on “Renew License” and then “Next Step” to renew the license.
If the Office/Sponsorship information listed is incorrect, DO NOT continue with this renewal until your new broker has submitted a change of association for you. If you are changing association or the business address, those changes must be performed, by the principal broker, prior to renewing your license online. Proceed with this online renewal ONLY if the information listed is correct.
Answer the questions and press “Next Step” to continue.
Affirm the application by checking the “I Agree” box and press “Next Step” to continue. When you affirm your application, you are indicating that you have met the requirements for renewal.
Therefore, your continuing education must be completed prior to submitting your online renewal. Enter your credit card details and press “Submit” ONLY ONCE to submit your payment. Your card will be charged with the total amount displayed.
You will get a “Confirmation” page indicating your renewal has been submitted. Print the page for your records. Submission does not constitute an approval. Your renewal application will be reviewed by the Department to make sure it is complete and meets the qualifications for renewal.
What if I don’t have a printer? Can I save a “confirmation page” to my computer?
Yes, you can save any web page to your computer. For most browsers, click on “File” in the menu bar, then click on “Save As.” When the “Save As” dialogue box appears, save the page as a web page or as a text file, to the location on your computer you choose. After you save it, you can open the file at any time without being connected to the Internet.How do I know my license was renewed successfully online?
After completing all of the steps on your renewal check list (including payment), you will submit your online renewal for processing. At the end of the renewal process you will get a Confirmation page indicating that your renewal has been submitted. This does not mean your license is renewed. Your renewal application will be reviewed to make sure it is complete and meets the qualifications for renewal.
You should access your account to see if the license shows as current. If you check “Application Status Display” and that license is still showing “in progress”, then your renewal application is still waiting to be reviewed by the Department of State. If anything additional is required, you will be contacted by the Department.
