Do you need a license to be a property manager in Florida?

In Florida, managing or renting property for others for pay is real estate work that needs a license: the real estate sales associate license, issued by the Florida Real Estate Commission. The law exempts some staff employed by a property owner or a licensed broker, such as on-site or leasing employees doing limited tasks. The exact wording, with any exceptions, is below.

Managing property for others"“Broker” means a person who, for another, and for a compensation or valuable consideration directly or indirectly paid or promised, expressly or impliedly, or with an intent to collect or receive a compensation or valuable consideration therefor, appraises, auctions, sells, exchanges, buys, rents, or offers" official source
On-site and employee exemptions"(2) Any individual, corporation, partnership, trust, joint venture, or other entity which sells, exchanges, or leases its own real property; however, this exemption shall not be available if and to the extent that an agent, employee, or independent contractor paid a commission or other compensation strictly on a transactional basis is employed to make sales, exchanges, or leases to or with customers in the ordinary course of an owner’s business of selling, exchanging, or leasing real property to the public." "(4) Any salaried employee of an owner, or of a registered broker for an owner, of an apartment community who works in an onsite rental office of the apartment community in a leasing capacity." "(5) Any person employed for a salary as a manager of a condominium or cooperative apartment complex as a result of any activities or duties which the person may have in relation to the renting of individual units within such condominium or cooperative apartment complex if rentals arranged by the person are for periods no greater than 1 year." official source
Leasing agents"(4) Any salaried employee of an owner, or of a registered broker for an owner, of an apartment community who works in an onsite rental office of the apartment community in a leasing capacity." official source
Community association managersCommunity association manager (CAM) license; community association management firm license (Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR)): "A person shall not manage or hold herself or himself out to the public as being able to manage a community association in this state unless she or he is licensed by the department in accordance with the provisions of this part." official source
Licensing agencyFlorida Real Estate Commission (within the Department of Business and Professional Regulation) official source
CredentialReal estate sales associate license / broker license official source

Checked against official Florida sources on Oct 27, 2026. This is not legal advice: rules change and exemptions depend on who employs you, so confirm with the licensing agency. This page lists only what we could confirm on an official page.

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