Can I get a real estate license with a Criminal Record?

Dallas, TX Viewed 671 times. Posted 6 months ago in Real Estate

I recently was given the opportunity to work for a very large Real Estate company after I finish my schooling and pass the test. In Texas you have to go through the TREC (Texas Real Estate Commision) to get your license. They now require you to get FBI Fingerprinted to run a background check. I have a misdemeanor assault charge from 6 years ago. I contacted TREC, and they said each case is handled on a case by case basis, which doesn't help answer my question. Will this prevent me from getting my license? Is there anyway to find out?I don't want to spend all this money on school only to find out my past has come back to haunt me.

Answers (2)

Theodore W. Robinson

This attorney is licensed in New York. Posted 6 months ago.

While I don't practice in Texas, here is my answer.

Most states are pretty much the same in this area. If you are convicted of a Misdemeanor, it is usually not a complete bar to getting licensed for things like real estate. If you were convicted of a felony, that would constitute a bar.

In either case, most states have what is known as a Certificate of Relief from Civil Disablities (or it may have a similar name or title) which, if granted, would not automatically bar you from getting licensed.

My suggestion is you contact a local lawyer in your state and ask if Texas has such a Certificate of Relief and if so, ask how much it would cost to get one. Usually you can go directly to the Court and ask for the form from the Clerk of the Court and fill it out yourself. However, not all Judges will grant them and that's where you will probably need an experienced attorney to assist you.

Good luck.

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diggonator (law student)

Posted 28 days ago.

Unfortunately, the answer is just that, its case by case. Most of the time, a state will grant you a real estate license with a misdemeanor, depending on the nature of your crime. In this case, I would guess that you are safe, they usually look for fraud and other "financial" related crimes as a red flag.

Texas is a little bit more strict, but at the same time, I don't think this particular record would prevent you from moving forward with your career. I am not sure if they would be able to help or not, but you may want to send a quick email to RELD, link below, they have answered quite a few of my questions in the past.

reld contact