How to Transfer Your Florida Real Estate License to a New Broker

A Florida sales associate does not hold a license independently. It is registered under an employing broker, and "transferring" it means changing which broker that is.

How It Works

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation keeps a record of the broker each sales associate works under. To move, that record is changed from the old broker to the new one. The new broker can usually do this online through their DBPR account, or a change of status form for sales associates and broker associates is submitted.

Timing

Florida expects the DBPR to be notified within ten days of a change of employer. In practice agents and brokerages arrange for the old registration to end and the new one to begin on the same day, so there is no gap in which the license is inactive.

If There Is a Gap

While no employing broker is on record, your license is inactive: you cannot list, show, negotiate or be paid for new real estate activity. An inactive license is not lost; it becomes active again when a broker registers you. Keep up with renewal and education requirements in the meantime.

Before You Transfer

Check that your license is current and that your continuing education is complete, since an expired or delinquent license cannot simply be moved. New licensees should check the deadline for the 45 hour post licensing course, which must be completed before the first renewal.

What Else Changes

Your Realtor association and MLS memberships follow your office, so both need to be told. Your errors and omissions coverage comes through the new brokerage. Your advertising must show the new brokerage's registered name from the effective date.

Coming From Another State

Florida has mutual recognition agreements with a number of states, which let a licensee from one of them qualify by passing a Florida law exam rather than the full course. The list of states and the rules change, so check the DBPR's current information.

Confirm With the DBPR

Procedures and forms are updated from time to time. Treat this as an outline and confirm the current steps on the DBPR website or with the brokerage you are joining. BreakThru handles the broker side of the change for agents who join.

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