Delaware: what an unlicensed TC can do
What Delaware law says about unlicensed transaction coordinators, what needs a license, and the open house rule.
Last reviewed October 2026 from Delaware Code Title 24. Delaware contract deadlines →
What you can do without a license
Each office must be "under the direction of a Broker, who shall provide complete and adequate supervision of that office" (Delaware Real Estate Commission Rule 1.3.3). The broker "is primarily responsible for the day to day management and supervision of a brokerage organization" (24 Del.C. 2902(a)(2)).
You can do (no license needed)
- Assist a licensee at an open house or showing of a listed property, as long as a licensee is on site.
Needs a license
- Sell, buy, negotiate the purchase, sale or exchange of, lease or rent real estate for others.
- Host or staff an open house, or otherwise show a listed property.
- Provide real estate services through a licensee, directly or indirectly.
- Present yourself as qualified to provide real estate services, or use a title suggesting you are.
- Take a licensee's commission as a finder's fee or reward for bringing in business, unless it is paid under a written cooperation or affiliation agreement the rules allow.
A practical example
- You can:
- Hand out flyers at your agent's open house while your agent is there.
- Refer to the agent:
- A visitor at the open house asks whether the seller would take less. Send it to your agent.
Staying on the right side of the rules
Marketing counts as real estate services
Delaware law says "real estate services shall also include the marketing and advertising of properties for sale or lease" (24 Del.C. 2902(a)(21)), and only licensees may provide real estate services (2901(a)). Check with your broker before you post or send listing marketing.
Open houses
"For any property listed with a Broker for sale, lease or exchange, only a Licensee shall be permitted to host or staff an open house or otherwise show a listed property. That Licensee may be assisted by non-licensed persons provided a Licensee is on site" (Rule 11.1).
Penalties
Providing real estate services without a license violates 24 Del.C. ch. 29 (2901(b)), and the Commission may "Issue cease and desist orders and impose fines for unlicensed practice" (24 Del.C. 2906(a)(13)).
How Closima handles it
Closima asks whether you hold a Delaware license. If you don't, purchase agreements and addenda go to your agent with a link: they check every value and complete the form, and Closima records that a licensee completed it. If you do, you fill them in yourself and send them to your agent for approval before they go out. Everything else (deadlines, documents, emails, other forms) works as usual.
Thinking about a license?
You don't need one to work as a TC in Delaware. A license lets you also do the work in the "Needs a license" column, under a broker. Here's what's involved:
Delaware's first license is the salesperson license. Complete the 99-hour Delaware salesperson prelicensing course, pass the general and Delaware law portions of the exam with Pearson VUE, and apply in DELPROS with a Statement of Broker of Record signed by the Delaware broker you will work under. You have six months to finish an application once you start it, and new licensees must complete 12 hours of new-licensee modules within 90 days of getting the license. How to apply.
Quick answers
Do you need a license to be a transaction coordinator in Delaware?
No. You can work as a TC in Delaware without a real estate license. Stick to administrative work under a licensed agent and their broker, and leave anything that needs a license to them.
Can an unlicensed TC fill out a purchase agreement in Delaware?
Delaware has no rule on it and bars providing real estate services through a licensee without a license, so leave completing agreements of sale to the licensee.
What can an unlicensed TC do in Delaware?
Assist a licensee at an open house or showing of a listed property, as long as a licensee is on site.
What needs a real estate license in Delaware?
Sell, buy, negotiate the purchase, sale or exchange of, lease or rent real estate for others; host or staff an open house, or otherwise show a listed property; provide real estate services through a licensee, directly or indirectly; present yourself as qualified to provide real estate services, or use a title suggesting you are; take a licensee's commission as a finder's fee or reward for bringing in business, unless it is paid under a written cooperation or affiliation agreement the rules allow.
How do you get a real estate license in Delaware?
Delaware's first license is the salesperson license. Complete the 99-hour Delaware salesperson prelicensing course, pass the general and Delaware law portions of the exam with Pearson VUE, and apply in DELPROS with a Statement of Broker of Record signed by the Delaware broker you will work under. You have six months to finish an application once you start it, and new licensees must complete 12 hours of new-licensee modules within 90 days of getting the license.
Resources
- Salesperson license (Delaware Real Estate Commission)Requirements and forms for the Delaware salesperson license.
- Delaware Code Title 24, Chapter 29The real estate license law, including who needs a license (2901) and definitions (2902).
- Real Estate Commission Rules (24 DE Admin. Code 2900)The Commission's rules, including broker supervision (1.3) and open houses (11.0).
- DELPROS license verificationCheck whether an agent or broker holds an active Delaware license.
Questions about what's allowed? Ask the regulator: Delaware Real Estate Commission (Division of Professional Regulation), 302-744-4500, [email protected].
Source: Delaware Code Title 24, Chapter 29, Real Estate Services, and Delaware Real Estate Commission Rules (24 DE Admin. Code 2900) (Statute as posted on delcode.delaware.gov; rules as posted on regulations.delaware.gov (Rule 11 last amended 24 DE Reg. 493, 11/01/20; read 2026-10-22)).
Buying or selling a home yourself? These pages are for people who work in real estate. Work with a licensed agent or a real estate attorney.
General information, not legal advice. Rules change, and your broker's policies may be stricter: confirm your duties with your supervising broker and your state's real estate regulator.
See also: Delaware contract deadlines · TC duties, licensed and unlicensed · How to become a transaction coordinator
Run your files with Closima
Deadlines from your state's contract, documents tracked, follow-up emails drafted, and forms filled the right way for your state. Your first 3 transactions are free, with no monthly fee.
Start free →