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Louisiana: what an unlicensed TC can do

What an unlicensed transaction coordinator may do in Louisiana, what needs a license, and why the licensee completes the purchase agreement.

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

Yes, you can work as a TC in Louisiana 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.
Louisiana infographic for unlicensed transaction coordinators: administrative tasks LREC says assistants can do, such as answering phones, submitting MLS listings, typing contract forms as directed by a licensee and supervising broker, following up on loan commitments and scheduling showings, next to things they can't do: discussing or explaining a contract outside the firm, answering questions on a listing, showing property or hosting open houses, negotiating commissions, and being paid based on commission or sales.

What you can do without a license

LREC says an unlicensed assistant may type contract forms and write ads only as directed by a licensee and supervising broker, and Louisiana law requires the licensee to complete the purchase agreement form.

You can do (no license needed)

  • Answer the phone and forward calls to a licensee.
  • Submit listings and changes to the MLS.
  • Type contract forms as directed by a licensee and supervising broker.
  • Follow up on loan commitments after a contract has been negotiated.
  • Schedule appointments for a licensee to show listed property.
  • Act as a courier to deliver documents and pick up keys.
  • Get public records from the courthouse, sewer district, water district and similar offices.
  • Write ads as directed by a licensee and supervising broker, and place them.

Needs a license

  • Discuss or explain a contract, listing or other real estate document with anyone outside the firm.
  • Answer any questions on a listing.
  • Show property listed for sale.
  • Host an open house.
  • Prepare promotional material or ads without the review and approval of the licensee and supervising broker.
  • Negotiate or agree to any commission, commission split, management fee or referral fee for a licensee.
  • Be paid on the basis of real estate activity, such as a percentage of commission or any amount based on listings or sales.
Typing a contract is not completing itLREC lets an unlicensed assistant "Type contract forms as directed by a licensee and supervising broker." The duty to complete the purchase agreement belongs to the licensee: a licensee representing the buyer or seller of residential property "shall complete the purchase agreement form prescribed by the Louisiana Real Estate Commission" (La. R.S. 37:1449.1). Type only what your agent gives you, and don't change the form's printed text.

A practical example

You can:
Your agent tells you the price, deposit and closing date, and you type them into the Residential Agreement to Buy or Sell exactly as given.
Refer to the agent:
The buyer's agent asks what a clause in the agreement means. Send it to your agent; assistants can't discuss or explain contracts outside the firm.

Staying on the right side of the rules

Nobody may alter the purchase agreement form

La. R.S. 37:1449.1(A): "No person shall alter the purchase agreement form; however, addendums or amendments to the purchase agreement form may be utilized." LREC's rules say the official source of the form is the LREC website (LAC 46:LXVII.3900).

Penalties for unlicensed activity

LREC may impose a civil penalty of up to $5,000 on an unlicensed person found to have engaged in real estate activity, plus costs and attorney fees, and that person has no right to be paid for the services (La. R.S. 37:1459). Violating the license law can also bring a fine of up to $2,000, up to five years in prison, or both (La. R.S. 37:1458).

Not a complete list

LREC says its list "is not all-inclusive, and it is not intended to replace the advice of competent legal counsel." It points to La. R.S. 37:1431 for the activities that need a license.

How Closima handles it

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

Louisiana requires 90 hours of LREC-approved real estate education (the Real Estate 101 course) and a passing score on both the state and national portions of the Pearson VUE salesperson exam. You also complete a background check and fingerprinting through IdentoGO. Before your license is issued, you must be supervised by a licensed real estate broker and show proof of errors and omissions insurance. How to apply.

Quick answers

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

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

No. Louisiana law says the licensee "shall complete the purchase agreement form." An assistant may type contract forms as the licensee and broker direct.

What can an unlicensed TC do in Louisiana?

Answer the phone and forward calls to a licensee; submit listings and changes to the MLS; type contract forms as directed by a licensee and supervising broker; follow up on loan commitments after a contract has been negotiated; schedule appointments for a licensee to show listed property.

What needs a real estate license in Louisiana?

Discuss or explain a contract, listing or other real estate document with anyone outside the firm; answer any questions on a listing; show property listed for sale; host an open house; prepare promotional material or ads without the review and approval of the licensee and supervising broker.

How do you get a real estate license in Louisiana?

Louisiana requires 90 hours of LREC-approved real estate education (the Real Estate 101 course) and a passing score on both the state and national portions of the Pearson VUE salesperson exam. You also complete a background check and fingerprinting through IdentoGO. Before your license is issued, you must be supervised by a licensed real estate broker and show proof of errors and omissions insurance.

Resources

Questions about what's allowed? Ask the regulator: Louisiana Real Estate Commission (LREC), (225) 925-1923, [email protected].

Source: Louisiana Real Estate Commission, "Unlicensed Assistants" (No date printed).

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: Louisiana contract deadlines · How to become a transaction coordinator

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