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Legal Update for Real Estate Licensees

Legal Update for Real Estate Licensees

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  • MANDATORY FOR: ALL REAL ESTATE LICENSEES

  • BCFSA’s Legal Update course is a mandatory continuing education requirement for all real estate licensees. Updated annually, the course includes an online, self-paced learning component and a one-day virtual classroom session. You must complete both components of the Legal Update course (online and virtual classroom) before applying to renew your licence.

    Cost: $275
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To register, you need your licence number. Find your licence number using our Licensee Search.

Once your registration has been processed, you will receive a confirmation email with details on how to access the online component of the course.

Course Overview

Who Must Take the Course

All real estate licensees are required to complete the Legal Update course before applying to renew a licence.

The Legal Update course includes:

  • An online, self-paced learning component; and
  • A five-hour virtual classroom session.

You must complete the entire Legal Update course before applying to renew your licence.

You are only required to complete one Legal Update course during your two-year licensing cycle and prior to licence renewal, even if you are licensed to provide more than one service. Licensees are welcome to complete each yearly version of the course for their own professional development.

What You Will Learn

In the Legal Update course, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of the latest legal and regulatory developments relevant to real estate licensees. Topics covered encompass critical areas such as transactions on indigenous lands, commercial leasing, misrepresentations and disclosures, and strata-related collection of money and voting at meetings.

When to Take the Course

We encourage you to take Legal Update as soon as possible within your two-year licensing period. Completion of the course is required in order to renew a licence.

BCFSA strongly recommends that you begin the Legal Update course at least 8 weeks in advance of your licence expiry date, to ensure that you have ample time to complete the course and submit your licence renewal application.

Course cost

The Legal Update course fee is $275. Course fees must be paid upon registration.

Course revenues support the development of further educational resources and courses to enhance real estate licensees’ knowledge and help them to comply with regulatory requirements.

Course Length

Graphic showing length of component 1 and 2 for course

Learners are provided with a two-week period to complete the online modules which will, in most cases, take an estimated 10-15 hours. This is followed by a one business day break, before learners attend the virtual classroom. Component One is self-paced providing learners with flexibility to balance educational requirements with the needs of their business and must be completed before Component Two begins.

Course Details

In addition to topics applicable to specific licensing categories, there is a comprehensive suite of topics in Legal Update. The Learner Resource Workbook provided to learners includes the following list of topics:

Module 1Legislation Update
Module 2Transactions on Indigenous Lands
Module 3Money Matters — Trust Accounting
Module 4Misrepresentations and Disclosures
Module 5Rental Property and Strata Management — Agency Matters
Module 6Small Commercial Transactions
Module 7Commercial Leasing
Module 8Mortgage Brokers — Selected Issues
Module 9Mortgage Brokers — Costs of Borrowing
Module 10Strata Management — Collection of Money and Voting at Meetings
Module 11Rental Property Management — Selected Issues
Module 12Trading Services — Agency Matters
Module 13Managing Brokers — Selected Issues

The table below details the mandatory modules required for each version of the course:

  • Trading — Residential

    • Legislation Update
    • Transactions on Indigenous Lands
    • Misrepresentations and Disclosures
    • Small Commercial Transactions
    • Trading Services — Agency Matters

  • Trading — Commercial

    • Legislation Update
    • Transactions on Indigenous Lands
    • Misrepresentations and Disclosures
    • Small Commercial Transactions
    • Commercial Leasing

  • Rental

    • Legislation Update
    • Money Matters — Trust Accounting
    • Rental Property and Strata Management — Agency Matters
    • Rental Property Management — Selected Issues
    • Commercial Leasing

  • Strata

    • Legislation Update
    • Money Matters — Trust Accounting
    • Rental Property and Strata Management — Agency Matters
    • Strata Management — Collection of Money and Voting at Meetings

  • Managing Broker

    • Legislation Update
    • Transactions on Indigenous Lands
    • Money Matters — Trust Accounting
    • Managing Brokers — Selected Issues

During the virtual classroom session, you will take a closer look at the content of the modules covered through scenarios, case studies, and group discussions.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Legal Update 2026 zeroes in on the legal and regulatory topics requested by licensees. The 2026 iteration of Legal Update continues with the 2025 targeted approach tailored to each licensing category.

    In addition to across the board exploration of legislation updates, managing brokers will explore selected issues, strata licensees will visit the collection of money and voting at meetings, and rental licensees explore unique issues within their segment.

    Virtual classroom sessions will allow learners to delve deeper into topics through scenario discussions on real-world challenges set out within the online component. The mandatory online and full-day classroom components are designed to enhance the practical skills of participants.

  • After registering for the Legal Update course, you will receive access to the online component on the day it is scheduled to start. You’ll find:

    • Self-paced modules, each with a final quiz with multiple choice questions; and
    • Adventures in each module specific to the course you registered for.

    Once you have completed the online component, you can attend the virtual classroom component, which will include:

    • Case scenarios;
    • Interactivity;
    • Group work and class discussions.

  • If you took the 2025 Legal Update during your current licence period, you have satisfied BCFSA’s Continuing Education requirement. You do not need to take another Legal Update course until your next licensing period. Real estate licensees are welcome to take the Legal Update course every year for their own professional development.

  • No. You must successfully complete all the sections in the online component of the course before you will be able to attend the virtual classroom component. If you are not able to complete the online component in time, you will be required to reschedule your course to another available offering, and pay a course rescheduling fee (50% of the course cost).

  • If you do not successfully complete the appropriate Legal Update course by the time your licence renewal application is due, your real estate licence will not be renewed. Register for the next available course and once you have completed it, you can submit a late renewal application form, paying an additional late renewal application fee of $50.

    If you do not renew your licence, you will not be licensed and cannot provide real estate services.