The California Department of Real Estate (DRE) conducts investigations of real estate brokers and salespeople, typically in response to consumer complaints about real estate transactions. DRE analysts and investigators conduct investigations, while DRE auditors conduct audits of licensees’ bank accounts and financial records.
A real estate broker or salesperson will usually find out about a
The Department of Real Estate takes criminal convictions that occur in connection with a real estate license very seriously. We represented a client in one such licensee, where a misunderstanding regarding the nature of a visit to a property resulted in the licensee pleading to a misdemeanor that occurred on the property. As a consequence,
The Department of Real Estate accused a licensee of fraud, dishonest dealing, and dishonesty after the client failed to report a 2019 conviction for a misdemeanor violation of a Labor Code statute. The licensee had also been convicted of crimes twice before. Alleging a pattern of dishonest behavior, the DRE refused to offer the client
Our office represented a licensee in 2020 who had earned a license only two years prior, in 2018. Unfortunately, this client was arrested for DUI just a few months after earning the license, and ultimately pled guilty in 2019. Having only been licensed for a year at the time of conviction, the client did not
Effective July 1, 2013, a much anticipated change has occurred – the independent entity known as the Department of Real Estate has become a license agency within the Department of Consumer Affairs known as the Bureau of Real Estate. The purpose of this realignment is to save money as certain functions handled by the Bureau
When the Department of Real Estate seeks to discipline a licensee or deny a license application, it is required by California law to establish specific “criteria for rehabilitation.” These criteria are very important to understand for licensees and applicants. Essentially, by publishing these criteria, the Department of Real Estate (DRE) provides a statutory