We receive questions from residents who want to know is it legal for a friend or neighbor to show and sell their home while they are away. The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) has strict rules about unlicensed real estate activity.
Here’s a quick review:
· Any person in the community can sell their own home, no matter if the home has a share and is real property or if the home is located on a lot that they rent.
· If a homeowner does not want to sell their home themselves and the home is real property, then the person selling the hom
e must be a licensed Florida real estate agent. Simple acts such as asking a neighbor to unlock the door and let in a possible buyer or a neighbor describing the features about the home is unlawful activity and is a third-degree felony as that person is acting as a real estate agent without a real estate license.
· There are still a few homes where the owner rents the lot within the community. If those homeowners don’t want to sell the homes themselves, then the person selling the home must be a licensed Florida mobile home dealer. According to the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles which regulates mobile home dealers, if a person who isn’t the owner shows a home and doesn’t have a dealer’s license, it is a second degree misdemeanor that can result in jail time and fines.
The DBPR has an unlicensed activity program and a hotline to report unlicensed activity. To learn more, call 866-532-144