Tennessee Real Estate Commission grants several reinstatements, waives or reduces fees in February meeting

The Tennessee Real Estate Commission on Feb. 6 approved a series of license reinstatements and fee-waiver requests, voting to allow several expired licenses to be reinstated without reexamination and to grant partial or full fee waivers in individual cases.

The commission approved reinstatement requests for multiple individuals while attaching conditions in several cases: the board accepted a request to reinstate Richard Bell without reexamination (motion passed), approved a waiver of fees for David Taylor conditioned on reinstatement of E&O insurance, and approved reinstatement-related relief for Michael McCauley contingent on current errors-and-omissions (E&O) coverage. Commissioners debated, and ultimately split on, a waiver for Betty Hanks (listed in materials as Betty Oinks/Hanks), approving a reduction of the reinstatement penalty to $550 (half of the $1,100 charge) by a 4–2 vote with one abstention.

Why it matters: these decisions affect how long-time and formerly active licensees may return to practice, whether they must retest, and how the commission balances consumer protection (E&O coverage and record flags) with relief for applicants who say they lacked notice or faced medical or personal hardship.

Most significant votes and conditions - Richard Bell: Commissioners accepted counsel’s…