 Licensing & Renewals > Re-Licensing Education Program
Taking Courses Online with RECA
Real Estate Re-licensing Education Program Requirements
 • Approved RECA Course Providers
Mortgage Broker Re-licensing Education Program Requirements
Real Estate Appraisers and Candidates Re-licensing Education Program Requirements
Under s.12 of the Real Estate Act, the Real Estate Council Alberta (RECA) has the responsibility and authority to determine the eligibility requirements of a person to retain an authorization (licence and/or registration) to trade in real estate, deal in mortgages or provide real estate appraiser services in Alberta, including post-licensing education standards. RECA requires real estate, mortgage broker and real estate appraiser industry members to meet additional eligibility requirements to retain their authorization on an ongoing basis by completing additional education requirements. This program is identified as the Re-licensing Education Program (REP).
Prior to October 1, 2007 the additional education requirements for a real estate industry member to renew their authorization was a mandatory course prescribed by Council and additional education of the industry member’s choice from a list of courses approved by RECA for that purpose. A total of 18 course credits over two licensing years were required to renew their authorization. Mortgage broker and real estate appraiser industry members were required to complete mandatory education as and when prescribed by Council.
Effective October 1, 2007, the requirement for each of the respective classes of industry members to complete additional post-licensing education is mandatory education prescribed by Council. Council’s responsibility to protect the public interest should be reflected in its REP and as such, should reflect consumer protection issues and those issues that recently changed, therefore affecting the business of industry members. The change to the focus of RECA’s re-licensing eligibility requirements were made to better define RECA’s role in the ongoing education of industry members. Council is of the opinion that additional professional development opportunities beyond REP requirements are the responsibility of individual industry member and industry associations.
Specifically, RECA’s REP focuses on the delivery of mandatory courses that address the issues that have changed since the last REP course, including legislative amendments, emerging issues affecting the industry and consumers, legal update, risk reduction techniques, and other compliance and regulatory issues.
The topics, timing, and frequency of REP courses will be determined by RECA, based on its experience in the administration of the Real Estate Act and the feedback it receives from its advisory committees and industry associations. The goal will be to ensure RECA mandatory courses are necessary, timely, and relevant to industry members for protection of the public interest. Industry members will be required to take the REP course(s) developed and delivered by RECA to retain their authorizations. RECA will continue to track the compliance of industry members with respect to the REP course using the RECA Online licensing database.
RECA will promote professional development within the industry and will provide support, when requested, to assist industry associations in the advancement of professional development for their members.
NOTE: Individual real estate and mortgage broker industry members are issued a licence and registration certificate upon approval of an initial application by RECA. The registration certificate expires annually on September 30. The REP requirement is tied to the renewal of these individual industry member’s registration certificates on September 30 of each year. The licence of a real estate or mortgage broker industry member does not expire for a period of 36 months following the date on which they cease to be registered with a brokerage. Those industry members who are within the 36 month timeframe and wish to return to the industry must complete all Re-licensing Education Program requirements for the period during which the industry member was not registered with a brokerage.
Real estate appraiser and candidate industry members are only issued a licence upon approval of their application by RECA and this licence expires on September 30 each year. Any REP requirement is tied to the renewal of that licence. Effective October 1, 2010, any real estate appraiser or candidate industry member whose last date of licensing with RECA is less than 36 months in the past is required to complete all REP requirements for the period during which the industry member was not licensed with RECA prior to returning to the industry.
Taking Courses Online with RECA
All REP courses will be made available online through RECA Education. When courses are ready, effected industry members will be notified via RECA News.
To enroll in courses through RECA Education, industry members must first obtain their RECA ID number. This number begins with "RW-" for real estate industry members, "MW-" for mortgage industry members and "A-" for real estate appraisal industry members. Note the dash, "-", after the letters. It is important that the dash is added when typing in your RECA ID number. Real estate and mortgage industry members should obtain their RECA ID numbers from their brokers, and keep the number on file for use with future RECA courses. Real estate appraisal industry members can obtain their RECA ID numbers from RECA Information Officers.
Enrolling is as simple as entering the RECA Education portal from the RECA homepage at www.reca.ca, and clicking on the required course. From there you can follow the on-screen instructions.
Anytime, Any Place, Any Pace
RECA courses are made so industry members and potential industry members can complete the course at their own pace. Learners can complete part or all of a course in one sitting, and can log out secure in the knowledge that RECA Education will save their progress. The next time learners log-in to RECA Education they can pick up where they left off.
Course Access After Completion
Once you have completed any RECA REP course you may log back in through the RECA website at any time to access and review the course material. When accessing a course after initial completion, you may access any section of the course without having to complete each section before moving on to the next section.
Real Estate Re-licensing Education Program Requirements
Industry Members Current with REP Requirements to October 1, 2009
Real Estate industry members must complete the course Real Estate Update 2009-2010 to qualify to renew their authorization with RECA by September 30, 2010. The course is available online via RECA Education. The classroom version of the course is also available through approved RECA course providers.
Industry Members not Current with REP Requirements to October 1, 2009
REP requirements for the period between October 1, 2006 and September 30, 2008 are:
1) Agency Fundamentals
- available online through the Alberta Real Estate Association (AREA)
2) Understanding Designated Agency and Transaction Brokerage
Note: Agency Fundamentals is a prerequisite for the Understanding Designated Agency and Transaction Brokerage course. If an industry member completed Understanding Designated Agency and Transaction Brokerage prior to completing Agency Fundamentals, RECA required that individual to retake the Understanding Designated Agency and Transaction Brokerage course.
Exemptions:
- If you completed a classroom session of the Real Estate Associate’s Program (REAP) that began on or after November 1, 2006, you may be exempt from completing Agency Fundamentals. Please contact RECA for further information.
- Those who are taking the current Phased distance delivery version of REAP are exempt from taking Agency Fundamentals, as the Agency Fundamentals content is embedded in the program.
- However, if you have completed or are in the process of completing the former distance delivery version of REAP that began on or before May 31, 2007, you are not exempt from taking Agency Fundamentals, since the course had not been modified to include Agency Fundamentals content.
REP requirements for the period between October 1, 2005 and September 30, 2007 are:
1) Legislative Update: Changes to the Rules (3 credits)
- available online through the Alberta Real Estate Association
2) 3 additional credits (for a full list of approved courses, please click here)
Exemptions:
- Professional development course requirements for the additional credits, excluding mandatory courses, may be waived if you meet all three of the following criteria:
- completed the Real Estate Associate’s Program between October 1, 2005 and September 30, 2007
- scored 70% or higher on the provincial qualifying exam for an associate between October 1, 2005 and September 30, 2007
- were licensed as an associate and registered with a brokerage some time between October 1, 2005 and September 30, 2007
- If you successfully completed a Real Estate Associates’ Program that began on or after November 1, 2006, you were exempt from the mandatory course (Legislative Update) as the information contained in the mandatory course was included in the REAP course you completed.
Those who completed Real Estate Associates’ Program via correspondence since October 1, 2005 were not exempt from the Legislative Update: Changes to the Rules course.
Mortgage Broker Re-licensing Education Program Requirements
Industry Members Current with REP requirements to October 1, 2009
Mortgage broker industry members must complete the course Mortgage Broker Update 2009-2010 to qualify to renew their authorization with RECA by September 30, 2010. The course is available online via RECA Education.
Industry Members not Current with REP Requirements to October 1, 2009
REP requirements for the period between October 1, 2005 and September 30, 2007 are:
1) Legislative Update: Changes to the Rules
- available online through the Alberta Real Estate Association
Real Estate Appraiser and Candidates Re-licensing Education Program Requirements
Industry Members Current with REP requirements to October 1, 2009
There are no REP requirements for real estate appraisers and candidates for the 2009-2010 licensing year. Real estate appraisers and candidates must remain a member in good standing with the Alberta Association of the Appraisal Institute of Canada, or the Canadian National Association of Real Estate Appraisers, or the Alberta Assessors Association, including completing any Re-Licensing Education Program.
Industry Members not Current with REP Requirements to October 1, 2009
REP requirement for the period between October 1, 2008 and September 30, 2009 is:
1) Mortgage Fraud Awareness
- this course is available online through the Alberta Real Estate Association
- If an appraiser has completed this requirement as a result of licensing in the real estate or mortgage brokerage categories, they do not have to complete the course again.
|
