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New York: what an unlicensed TC can do

What an unlicensed transaction coordinator may do in New York, what needs a license, and why contract forms you type need broker approval.

Yes, you can work as a TC in New York 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.
New York infographic for unlicensed transaction coordinators. Administrative tasks: answer phones and arrange appointments, follow up on loan status after the contract is negotiated, assemble closing documents, type contract forms for broker approval, order repairs as directed by the broker, prepare advertising for broker approval. Licensed or legal work: negotiate terms, act as a buyer's or seller's representative, devise legal contract provisions, give legal advice. Pay note: hourly, salaried or per-activity pay; completed-transaction pay requires a license.

What you can do without a license

The licensed broker must provide training, supervision and control over the work unlicensed assistants do for the brokerage.

You can do (no license needed)

  • Answer the phone, forward calls and take messages
  • Arrange appointments by phone for the licensee, including showings of listed property
  • Follow up on loan commitments and loan status after the contract has been negotiated
  • Assemble documents for closing
  • Type contract forms for the broker to approve
  • Write ads and prepare flyers for the broker to approve, and place approved ads
  • Order repairs as directed by the broker
  • Gather information for a comparative market analysis or an appraisal

Needs a license

  • Negotiate a sale, exchange, purchase or rental of real estate
  • List, sell, buy or rent real estate for someone else
  • Do any other activity that Real Property Law section 440 reserves for licensees
  • Write legal terms into a contract or give legal advice
  • Be paid per completed transaction unless you hold a salesperson license and are paid by the broker
  • Count assistant work as qualifying experience for a real estate license
Typing a form is not approving itDOS lets an unlicensed assistant "type contract forms for approval by broker." The broker still approves every form, and DOS guidance for licensees says brokers may fill in only non-legal provisions and "would not be permitted to develop any 'legal terms'."

A practical example

You can:
Type the agreed price, names and closing date into the contract form and send it to the broker to approve.
Refer to the agent:
A seller asks what a mortgage contingency clause means for them. That goes to the agent or an attorney.

Staying on the right side of the rules

How you are paid matters

DOS says pay for unlicensed work is "best handled on an hourly, per activity, or salaried basis." If you are paid per completed transaction, you "must be licensed as a real estate salesperson and must receive compensation directly from the licensed broker."

Contracts and the practice of law

DOS Legal Memorandum LI04 says brokers preparing a fill-in-the-blanks contract should make it subject to each party's attorney approval or use a bar-and-realtor approved form, and must not give legal advice or discourage parties from seeing their lawyers.

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 York. A license lets you also do the work in the "Needs a license" column, under a broker. Here's what's involved:

New York's entry-level license is the real estate salesperson license. You must be 18, complete 77 hours of approved qualifying education, and pass the NYS Real Estate Salesperson exam; passing results are valid for two years. You must be sponsored by a NYS licensed real estate broker, and the initial application fee is $65. How to apply.

Resources

Questions about what's allowed? Ask the regulator: New York Department of State, Division of Licensing Services, (518) 474-4429.

Source: New York Department of State, Unlicensed Real Estate Assistants (No revision date printed (retrieved October 14, 2026)).

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 York contract deadlines · How to become a transaction coordinator

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