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Committee approves new property-management license and 24-hour education requirement
Summary
Lawmakers adopted a second substitute for House Bill 337 to create a distinct property-management license requiring 24 hours of pre-licensure education, broker association for oversight, and continuing-education authority for the Real Estate Division; sponsors said it lowers barriers while protecting tenants and owners.
Representative Tushar presented second-substitute House Bill 337 to create a distinct property-management license with a 24-hour education and exam requirement, replacing the current requirement that third-party property managers hold full real-estate salesperson licenses (120 hours). The substitute also requires licensed property managers to associate with a real-estate broker for oversight and allows the Real Estate Division to establish continuing-education requirements.
Nut graf: Supporters said the change lowers unnecessary licensure barriers for people who manage rental properties but are not engaged in real-estate sales, while increasing property-management-specific training to improve trust-account and escrow practices and tenant protections.
Sponsor testimony and industry representatives said Office of Professional Licensure and Regulation (OPLR) review prompted the change and that only four to six hours of current prelicensure education focuses on property-management topics; the substitute raises that to 24 hours targeted to escrow, trust-account handling and landlord-tenant law. Gavin Gilbert (attorney/industry representative) and Janice Kimball (Housing Connect) gave examples of nonprofits and affordable-housing managers who found the prior requirement a barrier to mission-driven property management.
Committee members asked about oversight and the requirement to associate with a broker; supporters said the broker-association requirement was included to provide experienced supervision during implementation and that the substitute still creates an alternative licensure pathway that could be widened in the future. The committee adopted the second substitute and then passed the bill out favorably by voice vote; proponents said they intend to continue discussions about long-term separation of functions.
Ending: The committee approved the substitute and passed the bill out favorably unanimously; the Real Estate Division will draft implementing rules and the industry and sponsors signaled openness to further adjustments in future sessions.
