2021 Illinois Compiled Statutes
Chapter 225 - PROFESSIONS, OCCUPATIONS, AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS
225 ILCS 454/ - Real Estate License Act of 2000.
Article 1 - General Provisions

(225 ILCS 454/Art. 1 heading)

(225 ILCS 454/1-1)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2030)

Sec. 1-1. Short title; Act supersedes Real Estate License Act of 1983. This Act shall be known and may be cited as the Real Estate License Act of 2000, and it shall supersede the Real Estate License Act of 1983 repealed by this Act.

(Source: P.A. 91-245, eff. 12-31-99.)

(225 ILCS 454/1-5)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2030)

Sec. 1-5. Legislative intent. The intent of the General Assembly in enacting this statute is to evaluate the competency of persons engaged in the real estate profession and to regulate their activities for the protection of the public.

(Source: P.A. 101-357, eff. 8-9-19.)

(225 ILCS 454/1-10)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2030)

Sec. 1-10. Definitions. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires:

"Act" means the Real Estate License Act of 2000.

"Address of record" means the designated address recorded by the Department in the applicant's or licensee's application file or license file as maintained by the Department.

"Agency" means a relationship in which a broker or licensee, whether directly or through an affiliated licensee, represents a consumer by the consumer's consent, whether express or implied, in a real property transaction.

"Applicant" means any person, as defined in this Section, who applies to the Department for a valid license as a managing broker, broker, or residential leasing agent.

"Blind advertisement" means any real estate advertisement that is used by a licensee regarding the sale or lease of real estate, licensed activities, or the hiring of any licensee under this Act that does not include the sponsoring broker's complete business name or, in the case of electronic advertisements, does not provide a direct link to a display with all the required disclosures. The broker's business name in the case of a franchise shall include the franchise affiliation as well as the name of the individual firm.

"Board" means the Real Estate Administration and Disciplinary Board of the Department as created by Section 25-10 of this Act.

"Broker" means an individual, entity, corporation, foreign or domestic partnership, limited liability company, registered limited liability partnership, or other business entity other than a residential leasing agent who, whether in person or through any media or technology, for another and for compensation, or with the intention or expectation of receiving compensation, either directly or indirectly:

• (1) Sells, exchanges, purchases, rents, or leases real estate.
• (2) Offers to sell, exchange, purchase, rent, or lease real estate.
• (3) Negotiates, offers, attempts, or agrees to negotiate the sale, exchange, purchase, rental, or leasing of real estate.
• (4) Lists, offers, attempts, or agrees to list real estate for sale, rent, lease, or exchange.
• (5) Whether for another or themselves, engages in a pattern of business of buying, selling, offering to buy or sell, marketing for sale, exchanging, or otherwise dealing in contracts, including assignable contracts for the purchase or sale of, or options on real estate or improvements thereon. For purposes of this definition, an individual or entity will be found to have engaged in a pattern of business if the individual or entity by itself or with any combination of other individuals or entities, whether as partners or common owners in another entity, has engaged in one or more of these practices on 2 or more occasions in any 12-month period.
• (6) Supervises the collection, offer, attempt, or agreement to collect rent for the use of real estate.
• (7) Advertises or represents himself or herself as being engaged in the business of buying, selling, exchanging, renting, or leasing real estate.
• (8) Assists or directs in procuring or referring of leads or prospects, intended to result in the sale, exchange, lease, or rental of real estate.
• (9) Assists or directs in the negotiation of any transaction intended to result in the sale, exchange, lease, or rental of real estate.
• (10) Opens real estate to the public for marketing purposes.
• (11) Sells, rents, leases, or offers for sale or lease real estate at auction.
• (12) Prepares or provides a broker price opinion or comparative market analysis as those terms are defined in this Act, pursuant to the provisions of Section 10-45 of this Act.

"Brokerage agreement" means a written or oral agreement between a sponsoring broker and a consumer for licensed activities to be provided to a consumer in return for compensation or the right to receive compensation from another. Brokerage agreements may constitute either a bilateral or a unilateral agreement between the broker and the broker's client depending upon the content of the brokerage agreement. All exclusive brokerage agreements shall be in writing.

"Broker price opinion" means an estimate or analysis of the probable selling price of a particular interest in real estate, which may provide a varying level of detail about the property's condition, market, and neighborhood and information on comparable sales. The activities of a real estate broker or managing broker engaging in the ordinary course of business as a broker, as defined in this Section, shall not be considered a broker price opinion if no compensation is paid to the broker or managing broker, other than compensation based upon the sale or rental of real estate. A broker price opinion shall not be considered an appraisal within the meaning of the Real Estate Appraiser Licensing Act of 2002, any amendment to that Act, or any successor Act.

"Client" means a person who is being represented by a licensee.

"Comparative market analysis" means an analysis or opinion regarding pricing, marketing, or financial aspects relating to a specified interest or interests in real estate that may be based upon an analysis of comparative market data, the expertise of the real estate broker or managing broker, and such other factors as the broker or managing broker may deem appropriate in developing or preparing such analysis or opinion. The activities of a real estate broker or managing broker engaging in the ordinary course of business as a broker, as defined in this Section, shall not be considered a comparative market analysis if no compensation is paid to the broker or managing broker, other than compensation based upon the sale or rental of real estate. A comparative market analysis shall not be considered an appraisal within the meaning of the Real Estate Appraiser Licensing Act of 2002, any amendment to that Act, or any successor Act.

"Compensation" means the valuable consideration given by one person or entity to another person or entity in exchange for the performance of some activity or service. Compensation shall include the transfer of valuable consideration, including without limitation the following:

• (1) commissions;
• (2) referral fees;
• (3) bonuses;
• (4) prizes;
• (5) merchandise;
• (6) finder fees;
• (7) performance of services;
• (8) coupons or gift certificates;
• (9) discounts;
• (10) rebates;
• (11) a chance to win a raffle, drawing, lottery, or similar game of chance not prohibited by any other law or statute;
• (12) retainer fee; or
• (13) salary.

"Confidential information" means information obtained by a licensee from a client during the term of a brokerage agreement that (i) was made confidential by the written request or written instruction of the client, (ii) deals with the negotiating position of the client, or (iii) is information the disclosure of which could materially harm the negotiating position of the client, unless at any time:

• (1) the client permits the disclosure of information given by that client by word or conduct;
• (2) the disclosure is required by law; or
• (3) the information becomes public from a source other than the licensee.

"Confidential information" shall not be considered to include material information about the physical condition of the property.

"Consumer" means a person or entity seeking or receiving licensed activities.

"Coordinator" means the Coordinator of Real Estate created in Section 25-15 of this Act.

"Credit hour" means 50 minutes of instruction in course work that meets the requirements set forth in rules adopted by the Department.

"Customer" means a consumer who is not being represented by the licensee.

"Department" means the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

"Designated agency" means a contractual relationship between a sponsoring broker and a client under Section 15-50 of this Act in which one or more licensees associated with or employed by the broker are designated as agent of the client.

"Designated agent" means a sponsored licensee named by a sponsoring broker as the legal agent of a client, as provided for in Section 15-50 of this Act.

"Designated managing broker" means a managing broker who has supervisory responsibilities for licensees in one or, in the case of a multi-office company, more than one office and who has been appointed as such by the sponsoring broker registered with the Department.

"Director" means the Director of Real Estate within the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

"Dual agency" means an agency relationship in which a licensee is representing both buyer and seller or both landlord and tenant in the same transaction. When the agency relationship is a designated agency, the question of whether there is a dual agency shall be determined by the agency relationships of the designated agent of the parties and not of the sponsoring broker.

"Education provider" means a school licensed by the Department offering courses in pre-license, post-license, or continuing education required by this Act.

"Employee" or other derivative of the word "employee", when used to refer to, describe, or delineate the relationship between a sponsoring broker and a managing broker, broker, or a residential leasing agent, shall be construed to include an independent contractor relationship, provided that a written agreement exists that clearly establishes and states the relationship.

"Escrow moneys" means all moneys, promissory notes or any other type or manner of legal tender or financial consideration deposited with any person for the benefit of the parties to the transaction. A transaction exists once an agreement has been reached and an accepted real estate contract signed or lease agreed to by the parties. Escrow moneys includes without limitation earnest moneys and security deposits, except those security deposits in which the person holding the security deposit is also the sole owner of the property being leased and for which the security deposit is being held.

"Electronic means of proctoring" means a methodology providing assurance that the person taking a test and completing the answers to questions is the person seeking licensure or credit for continuing education and is doing so without the aid of a third party or other device.

"Exclusive brokerage agreement" means a written brokerage agreement that provides that the sponsoring broker has the sole right, through one or more sponsored licensees, to act as the exclusive agent or representative of the client and that meets the requirements of Section 15-75 of this Act.

"Inactive" means a status of licensure where the licensee holds a current license under this Act, but the licensee is prohibited from engaging in licensed activities because the licensee is unsponsored or the license of the sponsoring broker with whom the licensee is associated or by whom he or she is employed is currently expired, revoked, suspended, or otherwise rendered invalid under this Act. The license of any business entity that is not in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State, or is not authorized to conduct business in Illinois, shall immediately become inactive and that entity shall be prohibited from engaging in any licensed activities.

"Leads" means the name or names of a potential buyer, seller, lessor, lessee, or client of a licensee.

"License" means the privilege conferred by the Department to a person that has fulfilled all requirements prerequisite to any type of licensure under this Act.

"Licensed activities" means those activities listed in the definition of "broker" under this Section.

"Licensee" means any person, as defined in this Section, who holds a valid unexpired license as a managing broker, broker, or residential leasing agent.

"Listing presentation" means any communication, written or oral and by any means or media, between a managing broker or broker and a consumer in which the licensee is attempting to secure a brokerage agreement with the consumer to market the consumer's real estate for sale or lease.

"Managing broker" means a licensee who may be authorized to assume responsibilities as a designated managing broker for licensees in one or, in the case of a multi-office company, more than one office, upon appointment by the sponsoring broker and registration with the Department. A managing broker may act as his or her own sponsor.

"Medium of advertising" means any method of communication intended to influence the general public to use or purchase a particular good or service or real estate, including, but not limited to, print, electronic, social media, and digital forums.

"Office" means a broker's place of business where the general public is invited to transact business and where records may be maintained and licenses displayed, whether or not it is the broker's principal place of business.

"Person" means and includes individuals, entities, corporations, limited liability companies, registered limited liability partnerships, foreign and domestic partnerships, and other business entities, except that when the context otherwise requires, the term may refer to a single individual or other described entity.

"Proctor" means any person, including, but not limited to, an instructor, who has a written agreement to administer examinations fairly and impartially with a licensed education provider.

"Real estate" means and includes leaseholds as well as any other interest or estate in land, whether corporeal, incorporeal, freehold, or non-freehold and whether the real estate is situated in this State or elsewhere. "Real estate" does not include property sold, exchanged, or leased as a timeshare or similar vacation item or interest, vacation club membership, or other activity formerly regulated under the Real Estate Timeshare Act of 1999 (repealed).

"Regular employee" means a person working an average of 20 hours per week for a person or entity who would be considered as an employee under the Internal Revenue Service rules for classifying workers.

"Renewal period" means the period beginning 90 days prior to the expiration date of a license.

"Residential leasing agent" means a person who is employed by a broker to engage in licensed activities limited to leasing residential real estate who has obtained a license as provided for in Section 5-5 of this Act.

"Secretary" means the Secretary of the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, or a person authorized by the Secretary to act in the Secretary's stead.

"Sponsoring broker" means the broker who certifies to the Department his, her, or its sponsorship of a licensed managing broker, broker, or a residential leasing agent.

"Sponsorship" means that a sponsoring broker has certified to the Department that a managing broker, broker, or residential leasing agent named thereon is employed by or associated by written agreement with the sponsoring broker and the Department has registered the sponsorship, as provided for in Section 5-40 of this Act.

"Team" means any 2 or more licensees who work together to provide real estate brokerage services, represent themselves to the public as being part of a team or group, are identified by a team name that is different than their sponsoring broker's name, and together are supervised by the same managing broker and sponsored by the same sponsoring broker. "Team" does not mean a separately organized, incorporated, or legal entity.

(Source: P.A. 100-188, eff. 1-1-18; 100-534, eff. 9-22-17; 100-831, eff. 1-1-19; 100-863, eff. 8-14-18; 101-357, eff. 8-9-19.)