Former CHFA employee asks Real Estate Commission to allow broker retest instead of restarting salesperson path

Rhonda, a former broker licensed in Connecticut and a former employee of the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA), asked the Real Estate Commission within the Department of Consumer Protection on the record for a waiver that would let her retest directly for a broker license rather than starting over as a salesperson.

Rhonda said she first was licensed as a broker in February 2005, practiced until about 2019 and left CHFA in 2022. “I went to work for the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority in 2014...in 2019, I let my license expire,” she told the commission, adding that COVID disruptions contributed to missing continuing education and renewal windows. She said she paid a fee but was told she must reapply from scratch and that the division’s website did not clearly explain the process for someone who missed the continuing-education window.

Commissioners and staff discussed options the commission has handled previously in similar cases. Several members suggested letting the applicant take the current 60-hour broker course and pass the broker exam; doing so would update her on law and practice changes since her license lapsed. Commissioners noted the historical salesperson-to-broker pathway requires 1,500 hours working under a broker, but that constraint would not be satisfiable while she lacks an active license. One commissioner said the 60-hour course and test would “familiarize her with new rules” and advocated that route as an administrable remedy. Another commissioner noted concerns about setting precedent and urged consistent treatment with prior applicants.

Staff and commissioners also discussed reciprocity: Connecticut accepts reciprocal credentials from some states, and commissioners suggested the applicant check whether an active license elsewhere (for example, South Carolina or Massachusetts) could enable a reciprocal reinstatement. Commissioners asked the applicant to check whether any active out-of-state license could be used for reciprocity and to provide documentation of any continuing-education or CE-like coursework she completed while at CHFA.

No formal motion or vote to grant a waiver occurred at the meeting. Commissioners directed staff to follow up, including: (1) verifying whether out-of-state reciprocity might apply; (2) confirming what documentation of CHFA coursework or other CE could be accepted; and (3) advising the applicant whether a 60-hour broker course plus re-examination would be an acceptable path to reinstatement in her case.

The commission emphasized it must treat similar cases consistently and asked the applicant to provide certificates of coursework and to contact staff about reciprocity checks.

The division did not adopt any change in policy during the session; commissioners described next steps as follow-up and investigation rather than a final decision.