How to check if a real estate agent is licensed

Jamaica's real estate agents are licensed by law and the register is public, searchable and free. There is no excuse for handing a deposit to someone you have not looked up. This guide shows exactly what to check and what the record tells you.

The law

The Real Estate (Dealers and Developers) Act, Act 18 of 1987, in force from 1 September 1988, provides at section 10(1) that a person shall not engage in the practice of real estate business as a real estate dealer unless he holds a valid licence issued under section 20. The Real Estate Board (REB) describes its role as registering, licensing and monitoring real estate dealers and salesmen and registering developers. The penalties are real: on indictment, a fine or up to five years imprisonment or both; on summary conviction, a fine of up to fifty thousand dollars or up to two years, plus up to one thousand dollars a day for a continuing offence. Practising from premises not on the licence carries its own penalty.

The search

Go to the REB's Search Public Register page. Choose the register: Salesman, Dealer, Developer, Development or Strata. Enter a name, a licence number or a location. The results page shows the date the register was last updated, which on our review date was the previous evening, so the list is live.

Reading a dealer record

A dealer is the licensed firm or principal. The record shows:

• Licence number in the form DL-0000 and the status, Active or Inactive.
• Contact details: email, phone numbers, address. Compare them with what the agent gave you.
• Qualifying directors: the licensed people responsible for the firm.
• Last issued: the licence period, which runs 1 April to 31 March. A current period means the firm is licensed now.
• Areas of practice: sales, rentals, leases, property management, appraisals, auctioneering. A dealer licensed only for rentals should not be selling you a house.
• CPDs completed: continuing professional development for the year.

Reading a salesman record

A salesman is an individual who must work under a dealer. The record shows the salesman's licence number and status, the last dealer employed, and the last licence period. An Inactive record with an old period, for example one ending in 1997, tells you this person has not held a licence in decades even if the name is familiar. If the record is Active, confirm that the dealer named is the one whose paperwork you are signing.

Developers and developments

If you are buying off plan or in a new scheme, search the Developer register for the company and the Development register for the scheme, and check that the names match your agreement for sale. Developer registration is renewed, so look at the period.

When the check fails

If the person is not on the register, is Inactive, or the details do not match, do not sign anything and do not pay a deposit. The REB's chief executive told JIS that the register shows the licence number, contact information and current licensed period, and that checking it is a crucial step in due diligence. You can report unlicensed activity to the REB anonymously.

Complaints against licensed agents

The REB's complaints process requires a completed, signed complaint form with supporting documents, submitted in person or by email. The Board says it communicates with the complainant within five working days. Depending on the facts, a complaint may lead to a Section 9 hearing before the Board or to a criminal court. Keep your messages, receipts and the agreement; the form asks for the licence number and the property address.

Why agents bother

A dealer licence costs J$44,000 a year and a salesman licence J$22,000, per the REB, with penalties for late renewal. Licensed agents have paid for the right to be checked. Use it.

What JaRanks cannot do

JaRanks cannot confirm an individual agent's honesty, resolve a dispute, or hold funds. Our property listings mark as verified only names we matched on the REB register on the date shown; the register changes daily, so run the search yourself before you sign.