Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:1437 – Application for license
Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:1437
- Appraisal: A determination of property value.
- Commission: means the Louisiana Real Estate Commission. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:1431
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- 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.
- Embezzlement: In most states, embezzlement is defined as theft/larceny of assets (money or property) by a person in a position of trust or responsibility over those assets. Embezzlement typically occurs in the employment and corporate settings. Source: OCC
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Forgery: The fraudulent signing or alteration of another's name to an instrument such as a deed, mortgage, or check. The intent of the forgery is to deceive or defraud. Source: OCC
- Individual real estate broker: means an individual person licensed as a real estate broker and does not mean a licensed corporation, limited liability company, or partnership licensed as a real estate broker. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:1431
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Licensee: means any person who has been issued a license by the commission to participate in any activity described in this Section. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:1431
- 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 a body of persons, whether incorporated or not. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 1:10
- Real estate: shall mean and include condominiums and leaseholds, as well as any other interest in land, with the exceptions of oil, gas and other minerals and whether the real estate is situated in this state or elsewhere. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:1431
- Real estate activity: means any activity relating to any portion of a real estate transaction performed for another by any person, partnership, limited liability company, association, or corporation, foreign or domestic, whether pursuant to a power of attorney or otherwise, who for a fee, commission, or other valuable consideration or with the intention, in the expectation, or upon the promise of receiving or collecting a fee, commission, or other valuable consideration:
(a) Sells, exchanges, purchases, manages, rents, or leases or negotiates the sale, exchange, purchase, rental, or leasing of real estate. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:1431
- real estate broker: means a licensed real estate broker performing activities as an individual real estate broker, a sponsoring broker or designated qualifying broker, or a corporation, partnership, or limited liability company which has been granted a real estate license through a designated qualifying broker. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:1431
A. Any person, partnership, limited liability company, association, or corporation, or other legal entity desiring to conduct real estate activity in this state, shall file an application for a license with the commission. The application shall be in such form and detail as the commission shall prescribe, setting forth the following:
(1) The name and address of the applicant and the name under which the applicant intends to conduct business.
(2) The place or places, including the city or village with the street and street number, if any, where the business is to be conducted.
(3) Such other information as the commission shall require.
B. Licenses shall be granted only to persons, partnerships, limited liability companies, associations, corporations, or other legal entities that bear a good reputation for honesty, trustworthiness, integrity, and competence to transact the real estate activities defined in this Chapter, in such a manner as to safeguard the interest of the public, and only after satisfactory proof of such qualifications has been presented to the commission.
(1) When an applicant has been convicted of forgery, embezzlement, obtaining money under false pretenses, larceny, extortion, conspiracy to defraud, or theft, or has been convicted of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude in any court of competent jurisdiction, such untrustworthiness of the applicant, and the conviction, may in itself be sufficient grounds for refusal of a license.
(2) When an applicant has made a false statement of material fact on his application, such false statement may in itself be sufficient grounds for refusal of a license.
(3) Grounds for suspension or revocation of a real estate license in Louisiana or any other jurisdiction, or the previous suspension or revocation, of a real estate license in Louisiana or any other jurisdiction shall also be grounds for refusal to grant a license.
C. No individual real estate broker or salesperson’s license shall be issued to any person who has not attained the age of eighteen years. No individual real estate broker or salesperson’s license shall be issued to any person who is not a high school graduate or the holder of a certificate of high school equivalency.
(1)(a) All applicants for an initial individual real estate broker license shall have first been licensed for four years, with two of the four years occurring immediately preceding submission of a broker license application, and shall show evidence satisfactory to the commission that they have satisfactorily completed at least one hundred fifty hours of instruction, or its equivalent, in real estate courses approved by the commission. Satisfactory completion includes passage of an examination on course contents.
(b) At least thirty hours of the broker educational requirement shall be obtained in coursework emphasizing broker responsibilities.
(c) Each person obtaining an initial real estate broker’s license shall complete forty-five post-license education hours within one hundred eighty days after the initial license date. Such hours shall be in subjects required by the commission including but not limited to laws, rules and regulations changes, finance, and the handling of funds. Post-license education hours may be used in the year completed to satisfy eight hours of the twelve-hour annual continuing education requirement; however, post-license education hours shall not satisfy the mandatory continuing education topic specified by the commission.
(2) The commission may accept real estate-related credit hours from an accredited college or university as partial substitution of the broker licensing educational requirement.
(3) The commission shall have the authority to accept experience in the real estate business or related fields as credit toward fulfillment of the education requirements set forth herein.
(4)(a) All applicants for a salesperson’s license shall show evidence satisfactory to the commission that they have completed ninety hours or its equivalent of instruction in real estate coursework approved by the commission prior to licensure. Satisfactory completion includes passage of an examination on course contents.
(b) Each person obtaining an initial salesperson’s license shall complete forty-five post-license education hours within one hundred eighty days after the initial license date. Such hours shall be in subjects required by the commission including but not limited to laws, rules and regulations changes, finance, and the handling of funds. Post-license education hours may be used in the year completed to satisfy eight hours of the twelve-hour annual continuing education requirement; however, post-license education hours shall not satisfy the four-hour mandatory continuing education topics specified by the commission.
(5)(a) In addition to all other education requirements set forth in this Chapter, regardless of initial license date, an individual real estate broker or salesperson shall furnish proof of completion of twelve hours per year of continuing education pertaining to matters including but not limited to laws, rules, and regulations relative to licensing, appraisal, finance, taxes, zoning, environmental quality, and the rules and programs promulgated or administered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. A minimum of four of the required annual continuing education hours shall be in subjects specified by the commission. Post-license education hours may be used to satisfy eight hours of the twelve-hour annual continuing education requirement; however, post-license education hours shall not satisfy the mandatory continuing education topics specified by the commission. The commission shall not allow a licensee to complete fewer than twelve hours of continuing education to satisfy the requirements of this Section. Failure to timely complete continuing education in accordance with this Subsection constitutes a violation of this Chapter.
(b) The commission shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement the continuing education and post-license education requirement and may mandate the completion of courses in specific real estate-related subjects. Such rules and regulations may require passage of an examination in order to satisfy the continuing education and post-license education requirement.
D. Every applicant for a license shall submit a sworn statement attesting that he has knowledge of and understands the provisions of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and the Louisiana Equal Housing Opportunity Act, and any amendments thereto or any successor legislation subsequently following, and that the applicant shall not induce or attempt to induce any person to sell or rent any dwelling by representations regarding the entry or prospective entry into an area, subdivision, or neighborhood of a person or persons of a particular race, color, religion, or national origin.
E. A nonresident may obtain a broker or salesperson license and engage in the real estate business in this state under conditions prescribed by the commission.
Acts 1978, No. 514, §1. Amended by Acts 1978, No. 658, §1; Acts 1979, No. 404, §1; Acts 1980, No. 492, §1; Acts 1981, No. 309, §1; Acts 1989, No. 655, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1990; Acts 1991, No. 642, §1; Acts 1993, No. 886, §1; Acts 1995, No. 1207, §§1, 2; Acts 1997, No. 220, §1; Acts 1997, No. 845, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1141, §2; Acts 1999, No. 452, §3; Acts 1999, No. 629, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2000; Acts 2001, No. 924, §1; Acts 2008, No. 254, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2009; Acts 2016, No. 533, §1; Acts 2021, No. 193, §1, eff. April 1, 2022.