Important news regarding license
renewal
Nov. 16, 2007
 Although Pennsylvania's real estate license renewal requirements for continuing education have NOT changed (14 hours of PA Real Estate Commission-approved CE must be completed by May 31, 2008, for the 2006-2008 renewal cycle), the renewal process itself has some new wrinkles.
Audits of
continuing education transcripts
As part of the renewal process, the
Commission intends to randomly select an
unspecified percentage of all agents
statewide and require them to submit
proof that they completed all required
continuing education. Most likely this
proof will be in the form of paper
transcripts.
Polley Associates, like other real
estate schools in Pennsylvania, submits
continuing education completions
electronically to the Commission. Polley
learners who are advised by the state
that their CE is being audited may
request paper copies of their
transcripts by calling or writing to our
office. Paper transcripts will be
distributed for audit purposes at no
cost.
New
penalties and fines
During an online license renewal
session, licensees must answer a series
of questions posed by the state.
Included among them is this: Have you
completed 14 hours of continuing
education credit?
It is extremely important that
licensees answer this question
accurately and truthfully!
- If a licensee attempts to renew
online and, at the time of renewal,
HAS NOT completed 14 hours of
continuing education, we suggest
ending the renewal attempt until
continuing education is completed in
its entirety.
- If a licensee attempts to renew
online and, at the time of renewal,
wrongfully answers that continuing
education has been completed when it
either is incomplete or has not yet
been started, we are led to believe
that -- upon discovery of this fact
during an audit -- the Commission
will impose substantial penalties.
- Penalties for incorrectly
reporting continuing education
fulfillment include a fine of $100
per hour for every CE hour wrongly
reported as completed, to a maximum
fine of $1,000.
- Licensees who are audited and
fined for incorrect CE reporting
will have a period of up to six
months to make up their missing CE
time. If they fail to do so they
face additional penalties, up to and
including license suspension.
Revised
license wallet cards
Pennsylvania in the past has issued wallet-sized cards to licensees
for their convenience in license
identification. The newest cards (from
2006) are
printed on the left side with a
registration code.
Mark Vessella, deputy commissioner of
the state Bureau of Professional and
Occupational Affairs -- of which the
Commission is a part -- says licenses
can use the registration code to renew
their licenses online during the 90-day
period between March 3 and May 31, even
if they have not received an official
license renewal notice from the state.
Names and
license renewal
Licensees should renew using the same
name that appears on their licenses
including, if applicable, any suffixes
(such as Jr., Sr., II or III). Nicknames
(substituting "Joe" for
"Joseph," for example) should
NOT be used unless the nickname appears
on the original license as well.
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