How To Renew a Florida Real Estate License
Written by Kacie Goff
In some ways, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) does a decent job of helping real estate licensees keep their licenses active. The Real Estate Commission (REC)’s webpage on renewal has lots of info. But it’s missing some pretty key details, like how often you need to renew and the current renewal fee.
Fear not, licensee - we made this guide for you to follow.
#1: Keep your address updated
This might seem like an unnecessary step since it doesn’t directly pertain to the actual renewal process. But it does play a role. Specifically, state law requires you to keep current contact information on file with the state.
Plus, if the DBPR doesn’t have your info, they won’t be able to get your renewal notice to you. Since that can be a helpful reminder, you do yourself a favor by updating the info on file anytime you move or change your email.
If you owe the state new contact info, mail in this Demographic Changes for Real Estate Individuals form. Unless you need to change your name, you can skip Section III, making this form a little easier to complete.
Double-check that you put the right email address down on that form. That’s going to come in handy in the next step.
#2: Keep an eye out for your renewal notice (but mark your calendar, too)
The DBPR emails out renewal notices so you can get a heads-up as your expiration date approaches.
That said, if you don’t get that email, your license will still expire on the upcoming date. And since spam filters can be overactive, it’s a good idea to set up a reminder system for yourself.
Florida real estate licenses expire every two years on either March 31 or September 30. Check your license to figure out which date applies to you. Then, you might want to put a recurring reminder on your calendar for a month or two before your expiration date. That will give you ample time to complete your continuing education (CE) and get your renewal submitted on time.
#3: Take your required CE
If it’s your first renewal, you’re on deck for post-license education. That’s 45 hours for sales associates and 60 hours for brokers. If that applies to you, you can get more info here.
Once you get past that initial renewal process, things get a lot easier. During each renewal cycle, you need 14 hours of CE.
Specifically, those 14 hours need to come from a DBPR-approved provider and break down as follows:
This doesn’t mean you need to go sit in some classroom for two days, though. The state has approved online real estate CE. That lets you chip away at your hours whenever you have time from any internet-connected device in any location that works for you.
If you want to check how many CE hours you have so far this renewal cycle, use this FAQ to walk through the process.
#4: Set up your online account and confirm your status
Once you have your CE done, you’re ready to get into the actual renewal process. For that, the DBPR recommends using their online portal.
If you’ve never used it before, you’ll need to create your account and link your license. Let’s go through each step separately, followed by the verification step to make sure your renewal will go through problem-free.
Skip to that third verification section if you already have an account with a linked license.
Creating your account
Start here by inputting all of the necessary info. Once you confirm that it’s all accurate (and really do double-check because it all matters), you’ll get a verification email in the inbox of the email address you provided. If you don’t get it, check your spam folder.
Once you get that verification email with your temporary password, head back to the login page and use those credentials. You’ll then have the chance to create the permanent password you want to use for the account. Make sure you save it somewhere secure.
Once you establish that password, you officially have an account.
If you run into any issues getting to that point, the DBPR has a guide with more detail to help.
Linking your license
Next up, you need to attach your real estate license to the account you just made. Once you’re logged in, you should see a link that says “Link an Existing License to My Account.” Click it.
Then, follow the steps in this guide to get your license linked.
Once you’re done, whenever you log into the online portal, you should see your license pop up in the right-hand column under “Licenses Linked to My Online Services Account.”
Verifying your status
Last up, click the license you just linked and make sure everything looks accurate. Specifically, if you’re a sales associate, make sure that it shows that your license is being held by the correct brokerage.
If that info isn’t accurate, contact your brokerage to have them add your license through their online account (here’s a guide). Alternatively, they can use this form.
#5: Submit your renewal and the fee
The state recommends submitting your renewals online.
That said, you can mail in the paper renewal form if you prefer. If you go the paper route, expect it to take 4-6 weeks for the DBPR to process your renewal. (Online, renewal is instant.)
In either case, you need to get things in by midnight on your expiration date.
To renew online, log into your account, click “Maintain/Renew This License,” and follow the steps to complete your renewal. That includes paying the appropriate renewal fee. You can do this using an electronic check or a Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express. Per 61J2-1.011 of the Florida Administrative Code, the renewal fee is:
- $64 for sales associates
- $72 for brokers
There’s a lot Florida real estate licensees need to know about renewing their licenses — and not all of that info is easily accessible on the DBPR website. But when you know what’s required and get a jump on it about a month before your license expiration date, renewal can be a manageable, stress-free process. You’ve got this.