Need a Broker of Record in California?
We provide a licensed Designated Broker registered with the California DRE so your company can legally operate, transact, and scale in California without delays. From PropTech platforms to institutional investors and property managers, we deliver brokerage licensing, compliance oversight, and audit-ready infrastructure from day one.
If your company engages in real estate transactions, referral-based compensation, property management, or brokerage-related activity in California, you are typically required to operate under a licensed Broker of Record registered with the California Department of Real Estate (DRE).
This applies to:
Need a Designated Broker in California?
We provide a licensed Broker of Record registered with the California DRE to supervise your brokerage. We handle:
Your Designated Broker covers:
What does a California Broker of Record actually do?
We ensure your brokerage meets all DRE compliance requirements, including:
We proactively prepare your business for DRE audits, reducing risk from:
Not sure if your business model complies with California real estate licensing laws?
We provide licensing analysis and regulatory guidance to ensure your operations, compensation structure, and transaction flow align with California law and DRE requirements.
Including:
Running high-volume or complex real estate transactions in California?
We provide Broker of Record oversight in California, ensuring every deal is properly supervised and structured under California law.
We support:
Need a Broker of Record for property management or multifamily operations in California?
Property management and multifamily operations are licensed real estate activity under California law. We provide:
Need MLS access in California?
We provide MLS membership and data infrastructure for companies that need property data for underwriting, modeling, acquisitions, and asset management. Our coverage includes:
Operating across multiple states?
We provide multi-state Broker of Record services, coordinating your California licensing with your broader national compliance strategy so your business can operate seamlessly across jurisdictions.
With PropTech Advisors, you get:
Starting a new brokerage or expanding into California?
We help companies form and structure their brokerage entities to meet California DRE requirements from the ground up, so your business is built on a compliant foundation from day one.
We assist with:
Platforms facilitating transactions, referrals, or real estate workflows that trigger licensing requirements under California law.
Brokerage licensing for FinTech companies intersecting with real estate law, including lending platforms, fractional ownership, and transaction technology.
Brokerage compliance and broker supervision for multifamily acquisitions, lease-up, and ongoing portfolio management.
Broker supervision for leasing, rent collection, and residential operations requiring DRE compliance.
Broker of Record support for single-family rental acquisition programs, dispositions, and portfolio-scale transactions.
Brokerage compliance for STR and vacation rental companies operating in regulated California markets.
Broker of Record services for corporate housing providers, furnished rental operators, and relocation companies operating in California.
Broker of Record and compliance infrastructure for commercial PM firms managing office, retail, industrial, and mixed-use properties.
Designated Broker placement and DRE compliance for commercial brokerages handling leasing, sales, and tenant representation in California.
Work directly with the licensed Broker of Record responsible for your compliance, not a passive network provider.
We specialize in PropTech, institutional investors, and complex transaction structures, not traditional retail brokerage.
We deliver audit-ready systems, trust fund compliance, and regulatory guidance, not just a name on your license.
From Los Angeles and San Diego to San Francisco, Sacramento, and the Inland Empire, we provide licensed broker supervision and DRE compliance infrastructure across every major California market.
A Designated Broker (also called a Designated Broker Officer for corporate brokerages) is the licensed broker who supervises all real estate activity conducted at a brokerage. California law requires every brokerage to designate this broker with the DRE. This individual is personally accountable for compliance, supervision, trust fund handling, and record-keeping.
The Designated Broker must hold an active California real estate broker license, maintain continuing education compliance (including mandatory courses in Ethics, Agency, Trust Fund Handling, Risk Management, and Management & Supervision), and ensure the brokerage's policies and trust fund practices meet DRE standards. If your company buys, sells, leases, manages, or facilitates real estate transactions in California, you need a Designated Broker to operate legally.
Almost certainly, if your platform facilitates, coordinates, or earns compensation from real estate transactions. California's definition of real estate brokerage activity under B&P Code §10131 is broad — it includes listing, selling, buying, exchanging, leasing, and rent collection, as well as negotiating loans secured by real property. Referral activity for compensation also triggers licensing requirements under §10137.
This applies to iBuyer platforms, fractional ownership products, property management technology, SFR acquisition programs, short-term rental platforms, and mortgage technology companies. The consequences of operating without proper broker coverage are severe: the DRE can issue cease-and-desist orders, impose penalties, and refer matters for criminal prosecution under B&P Code §10139.
In California, the DRE uses the term Designated Broker (or Designated Broker Officer for corporations) to identify the licensed broker who holds supervisory and compliance responsibility for a brokerage. "Broker of Record" is a more general industry term used across multiple states to describe the same role. Functionally, they refer to the same thing: the licensed individual accountable to the regulator for the brokerage's activity.
Trust fund handling is the #1 DRE enforcement target. California law requires that client funds be deposited within three business days, maintained in a separate trust account never commingled with broker operating funds, recorded in columnar format with separate records for each beneficiary, and reconciled monthly.
The Designated Broker is personally responsible for all trust fund handling — the DRE is explicit that the broker cannot shift this responsibility to managers, staff, or accountants. PropTech Advisors ensures your trust fund procedures are DRE-compliant from the ground up.
As of January 1, 2025, Assembly Bill 2992 requires all buyer's agents in California to execute a written buyer-broker representation agreement before showing property or, at latest, before submitting an offer. For PropTech platforms facilitating buyer-side transactions, your platform workflow must accommodate the execution of these agreements at the legally required point in the transaction process.
Because we maintain active California broker licensing and DRE compliance, we can typically onboard new clients significantly faster than the months-long process of recruiting, qualifying, and designating your own broker. The exact timeline depends on the complexity of your brokerage structure and the DRE's processing queue, but our goal is to get you operational as quickly as the regulatory process allows.
California real estate broker licenses renew every four years. Brokers must complete 45 hours of continuing education, including five mandatory three-hour courses. Late renewals incur a $675 penalty, and operating on an expired license violates B&P Code §10130. As your Designated Broker provider, PropTech Advisors handles all continuing education and renewal obligations, ensuring uninterrupted license coverage.
Yes. PropTech Advisors is licensed in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. California is one of our core markets, but we provide Broker of Record and brokerage compliance infrastructure nationwide. Whether you're operating in one state or fifty, we deliver consistent compliance standards and centralized broker oversight across every jurisdiction. Contact us to discuss your multi-state licensing needs.
The DRE conducts periodic audits focusing on trust fund handling, record-keeping, supervision of licensees, and advertising compliance. Audits can be triggered by routine scheduling, consumer complaints, or red flags in other regulatory filings. PropTech Advisors maintains your brokerage in a state of continuous audit readiness so that when an audit occurs, it's a non-event rather than a crisis.
We evaluate your business model and licensing requirements.
We designate a California Broker of Record and establish compliance infrastructure.
We supervise operations and ensure continuous DRE compliance.
Have questions about Broker of Record services in California? Whether you're launching a new brokerage, expanding into the state, or need compliance support, we're here to help.