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Hawaii: what an unlicensed TC can do

What Hawaii's Real Estate Commission says about unlicensed assistants, what needs a license, and why it suggests brokerage staff get licensed.

Last reviewed October 2026 from Hawaii Real Estate Commission Bulletin. Hawaii contract deadlines →

Yes, you can work as a TC in Hawaii 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. Here's where the line is.

What you can do without a license

Hawaii law says every real estate salesperson "shall be under the direction of a real estate broker for all real estate transactions" (HRS 467-1). The Commission has no rule on unlicensed staff; the brokerage decides their duties and must keep them within the licensing law (Real Estate Commission Bulletin, May 2024).

You can do (no license needed)

  • Answer phones and greet walk-in clients, as long as you don't do anything that needs a license.
  • Share information from fact sheets your principal broker approved for a specific property.
  • Handle trust money only with written authorization from your principal broker or broker-in-charge.

Needs a license

  • Sell, buy, list, lease, rent or manage real estate for others, or solicit buyers, for pay.
  • Negotiate or solicit for a real estate transaction.
  • Sign any real estate transaction document.
  • Show properties to potential clients or tenants.
  • Answer questions or give information beyond what is in fact sheets your principal broker approved.
  • Answer a question only a licensee should answer. Pass it to a licensee.
  • Be paid by a licensee for work that needs a license, or for referring business.
Hawaii has no list for assistantsThe Commission says: "The Commission has no rule or formal or informal interpretation on this issue. Nor is there a list of do's and don'ts for unlicensed assistants working for a brokerage." Unlicensed staff "may not perform any of the activities that requires a real estate license," and the Commission adds that "it may be a best practice to have brokerage staff become real estate licensees" (Real Estate Commission Bulletin, May 2024).

A practical example

You can:
Email a buyer's agent the property fact sheet your principal broker approved.
Refer to the agent:
The seller asks whether they should accept a lower offer. Send it to your agent.

Staying on the right side of the rules

The Commission's later correction

After the May 2024 bulletin, the Commission posted revised language on its bulletin page: an unlicensed assistant "may not show properties to potential clients or tenants" and "may not answer questions or provide information beyond what may be written in fact sheets approved by the principal broker regarding specific properties." The printed bulletin does not include this language.

Licensees can't pay you for licensed work or referrals

A licensee can be disciplined for compensating "one not licensed under this chapter to perform any such act" (HRS 467-14(5)) and for "Splitting fees with or otherwise compensating others not licensed hereunder for referring business" (HRS 467-14(14)).

Trust money

"A salesperson, broker-salesperson, or employee shall not handle trust properties in any way without the express written authorization of the person's principal broker or broker-in-charge" (HAR 16-99-4(i)).

Penalties

Acting as a broker or salesperson without a license violates HRS 467-7. "Any person violating this chapter shall be fined not more than $5,000 for each violation" (HRS 467-26).

How Closima handles it

Closima asks whether you hold a Hawaii 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 Hawaii. A license lets you also do the work in the "Needs a license" column, under a broker. Here's what's involved:

Hawaii's first license is the salesperson license. Complete a 60-hour Hawaii salesperson prelicense course at a registered school (completion certificates are valid for two years), then pass the Hawaii salesperson exam given by PSI. Within two years of passing, submit a complete license application. To be licensed on active status you must be employed by or associated with an active Hawaii brokerage. How to apply.

Quick answers

Do you need a license to be a transaction coordinator in Hawaii?

No. You can work as a TC in Hawaii 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 Hawaii?

Hawaii has no rule on it, and unlicensed staff may not negotiate or sign transaction documents, so leave completing purchase contracts to the licensee.

What can an unlicensed TC do in Hawaii?

Answer phones and greet walk-in clients, as long as you don't do anything that needs a license; share information from fact sheets your principal broker approved for a specific property; handle trust money only with written authorization from your principal broker or broker-in-charge.

What needs a real estate license in Hawaii?

Sell, buy, list, lease, rent or manage real estate for others, or solicit buyers, for pay; negotiate or solicit for a real estate transaction; sign any real estate transaction document; show properties to potential clients or tenants; answer questions or give information beyond what is in fact sheets your principal broker approved.

How do you get a real estate license in Hawaii?

Hawaii's first license is the salesperson license. Complete a 60-hour Hawaii salesperson prelicense course at a registered school (completion certificates are valid for two years), then pass the Hawaii salesperson exam given by PSI. Within two years of passing, submit a complete license application. To be licensed on active status you must be employed by or associated with an active Hawaii brokerage.

Resources

Questions about what's allowed? Ask the regulator: Hawaii Real Estate Commission (Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Real Estate Branch), 808-586-2643, [email protected].

Source: Hawaii Real Estate Commission Bulletin, May 2024, "Unlicensed Assistants in a Brokerage - What Can They Do?" (May 2024 (online correction posted on the Commission's bulletin page, undated)).

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: Hawaii contract deadlines · TC duties, licensed and unlicensed · How to become a transaction coordinator

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