Ohio Code 4735.02 – Requirement of license
(A) Except as provided in section 4735.022 of the Revised Code, no person, partnership, association, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or corporation shall act as a real estate broker or real estate salesperson, or advertise or assume to act as such, without first being licensed as provided in this chapter. No person, partnership, association, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or corporation shall provide services that require a license under this chapter if the licensee‘s license is inactive, suspended, resigned, or a broker’s license on deposit, or if the license has been revoked. Nothing contained in this chapter shall be construed as authorizing a real estate broker or salesperson to perform any service constituting the practice of law.
Terms Used In Ohio Code 4735.02
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Foreign real estate: means real estate not situated in this state and any interest in real estate not situated in this state. See Ohio Code 4735.01
- Foreign real estate salesperson: means any person associated with a licensed foreign real estate dealer to do or deal in any act or transaction specified or comprehended in division (A) of this section with respect to foreign real estate, for compensation or otherwise. See Ohio Code 4735.01
- Licensee: means any individual licensed as a real estate broker or salesperson by the Ohio real estate commission pursuant to this chapter. See Ohio Code 4735.01
- Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
- Person: includes an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, and association. See Ohio Code 1.59
- Real estate: includes leaseholds as well as any and every interest or estate in land situated in this state, whether corporeal or incorporeal, whether freehold or nonfreehold, and the improvements on the land, but does not include cemetery interment rights. See Ohio Code 4735.01
- Real estate broker: includes any person, partnership, association, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or corporation, foreign or domestic, who for another, whether pursuant to a power of attorney or otherwise, and who for a fee, commission, or other valuable consideration, or with the intention, or in the expectation, or upon the promise of receiving or collecting a fee, commission, or other valuable consideration does any of the following:
(1) Sells, exchanges, purchases, rents, or leases, or negotiates the sale, exchange, purchase, rental, or leasing of any real estate;
(2) Offers, attempts, or agrees to negotiate the sale, exchange, purchase, rental, or leasing of any real estate;
(3) Lists, or offers, attempts, or agrees to list, or auctions, or offers, attempts, or agrees to auction, any real estate;
(4) Buys or offers to buy, sells or offers to sell, or otherwise deals in options on real estate;
(5) Operates, manages, or rents, or offers or attempts to operate, manage, or rent, other than as custodian, caretaker, or janitor, any building or portions of buildings to the public as tenants;
(6) Advertises or holds self out as engaged in the business of selling, exchanging, purchasing, renting, or leasing real estate;
(7) Directs or assists in the procuring of prospects or the negotiation of any transaction, other than mortgage financing, which does or is calculated to result in the sale, exchange, leasing, or renting of any real estate;
(8) Is engaged in the business of charging an advance fee or contracting for collection of a fee in connection with any contract whereby the broker undertakes primarily to promote the sale, exchange, purchase, rental, or leasing of real estate through its listing in a publication issued primarily for such purpose, or for referral of information concerning such real estate to brokers, or both, except that this division does not apply to a publisher of listings or compilations of sales of real estate by their owners;
(9) Collects rental information for purposes of referring prospective tenants to rental units or locations of such units and charges the prospective tenants a fee. See Ohio Code 4735.01
- Real estate salesperson: means any person associated with a licensed real estate broker to do or to deal in any acts or transactions set out or comprehended by the definition of a real estate broker, for compensation or otherwise. See Ohio Code 4735.01
- Resigned: means the license status in which a license has been voluntarily and permanently surrendered to or is otherwise in the possession of the division of real estate and professional licensing, may not be renewed or reactivated in accordance with the requirements specified in this chapter or the rules adopted pursuant to it, and is not associated with a real estate broker. See Ohio Code 4735.01
- Revoked: means the license status in which the license is void and not eligible for reactivation. See Ohio Code 4735.01
(B) No partnership, association, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or corporation holding a real estate license shall employ as an officer, director, manager, or principal employee any person previously holding a license as a real estate broker, real estate salesperson, foreign real estate dealer, or foreign real estate salesperson, whose license has been placed in inactive or resigned status, or is suspended, or revoked and who has not thereafter reactivated the license or received a new license.