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New Hampshire: what an unlicensed TC can do

What an unlicensed transaction coordinator may do in New Hampshire, what needs a license, and why contact with buyers and sellers should stay minimal.

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

Yes, you can work as a TC in New Hampshire 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

The principal or managing broker must reasonably supervise all licensees and employees of the office (RSA 331-A:16, II). The Commission's 2014 declaratory ruling says reasonable supervision includes "Exercising appropriate oversight and limitations on the use of unlicensed assistants, whether as part of a team arrangement or otherwise."

You can do (no license needed)

  • Do clerical work, including answering the phone and forwarding calls.
  • Give general information about listed properties, such as location, availability and price, without soliciting.
  • Fill out and submit listings and changes to the multiple listing service.
  • Type contract forms for approval by the licensee and supervising broker.
  • Pick up and deliver paperwork to other brokers and salespersons.
  • Follow up on loan commitments after a contract has been negotiated, get status reports on the loan, and deliver loan documents for signature.
  • Assemble closing documents.
  • Get required public information from the Registry of Deeds, utilities and similar offices.
  • Write advertising for approval by the licensee and supervising broker, and arrange to place it.
  • Schedule appointments for the licensee to show a listed property.

Needs a license

  • Solicit buyers or sellers for an agent.
  • Assist or direct in procuring prospects calculated to result in a sale, exchange, lease or rental.
  • Negotiate, or assist or direct in the negotiation of, a sale, exchange, purchase, rental or lease.
  • List, or offer or agree to list, real estate for sale, lease or exchange.
  • Show property yourself. The guideline lets you schedule showings and drive clients to properties "which will be shown by the licensee."
  • Advertise or hold yourself out as being in the business of buying, selling, exchanging, renting or leasing real estate.
Keep contact with buyers and sellers minimalThe Commission's guideline says "an unlicensed assistant should have very little contact with the buyer or seller beyond providing secretarial assistance or factual information on listings." Its 2018 declaratory ruling repeats this and concludes: "Unlicensed assistants can perform clerical duties, but these cannot include solicitation." If a party asks about terms or wants advice, send them to your agent.

A practical example

You can:
You type the price and dates your agent gave you into the purchase and sales agreement, then send it to your agent and the supervising broker to approve.
Refer to the agent:
The seller calls to ask whether to accept the buyer's request to extend the inspection deadline. Send it to your agent.

Staying on the right side of the rules

Out-of-state TCs

The Commission's 2018 declaratory ruling says: "Both licensed individuals and unlicensed assistants can be non-residents of New Hampshire."

How you are paid

A licensee can be disciplined for "Paying or offering to pay valuable consideration, as defined by the commission, to any person not licensed under this chapter" (RSA 331-A:26, XXIV), and the Commission's rules define valuable consideration as "anything of value exceeding $100" (Rea 101.01(i)). We found no Commission guidance on how this applies to paying an assistant for clerical work. Ask your broker how your pay is set up.

Penalties

Anyone who engages in activity requiring a license without one is engaged in unlawful practice. The board may fine up to $10,000 for each offense, or the gain from the violation if greater, and may seek an injunction (RSA 310:13).

How Closima handles it

You can fill out contract forms in Closima. Before you send one for signature, Send to agent for approval gives your agent a link to check the filled form and approve it or ask for changes, and the file records who approved it and when. If your agent signs off another way, you can still send it, and the file notes that.

Thinking about a license?

You don't need one to work as a TC in New Hampshire. A license lets you also do the work in the "Needs a license" column, under a broker. Here's what's involved:

New Hampshire's first license is the salesperson license. You must be at least 18, finish 40 hours of approved study before the exam, complete a criminal records check through the New Hampshire State Police, and pass the state exam (given by PSI). You must become licensed within 6 months of passing, and a salesperson works under a principal broker. First renewal includes post-licensing courses. How to apply.

Quick answers

Do you need a license to be a transaction coordinator in New Hampshire?

No. You can work as a TC in New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire?

Yes, for approval. New Hampshire's guideline lets an unlicensed assistant "Type contract forms for approval by licensee and supervising broker."

What can an unlicensed TC do in New Hampshire?

Do clerical work, including answering the phone and forwarding calls; give general information about listed properties, such as location, availability and price, without soliciting; fill out and submit listings and changes to the multiple listing service; type contract forms for approval by the licensee and supervising broker; pick up and deliver paperwork to other brokers and salespersons.

What needs a real estate license in New Hampshire?

Solicit buyers or sellers for an agent; assist or direct in procuring prospects calculated to result in a sale, exchange, lease or rental; negotiate, or assist or direct in the negotiation of, a sale, exchange, purchase, rental or lease; list, or offer or agree to list, real estate for sale, lease or exchange; show property yourself. The guideline lets you schedule showings and drive clients to properties "which will be shown by the licensee.".

How do you get a real estate license in New Hampshire?

New Hampshire's first license is the salesperson license. You must be at least 18, finish 40 hours of approved study before the exam, complete a criminal records check through the New Hampshire State Police, and pass the state exam (given by PSI). You must become licensed within 6 months of passing, and a salesperson works under a principal broker. First renewal includes post-licensing courses.

Resources

Questions about what's allowed? Ask the regulator: New Hampshire Real Estate Commission (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification), 603-271-2152, [email protected].

Source: New Hampshire Real Estate Commission, Declaratory Ruling on Whether Non-Companies Can Solicit and Book Listings for a Licensee (June 19, 2018).

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

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