1.3 License Maintenance and Renewal

The Two-Year Cycle

New Hampshire real estate licenses operate on a biennial (two-year) cycle. Under the rule effective February 22, 2023, a license expires on the last day of the month two years from the date of issuance, rather than on a fixed statewide date. So a license issued March 14 expires March 31 two years later.

Continuing Education: Two Different Tracks

The single most testable point in this section is that first-time renewals follow a different CE track than later renewals. Mixing them up is the classic exam trap.

Track A: Standard renewal (second and subsequent renewals) - 15 hours

Approved elective topics under the Rea rules include:

• Property valuation
• Construction
• Contract and agency law
• Ethics
• Financing and investment
• Land use and zoning
• Property management
• Taxation
• Environmental issues
• Supervision and office management

Track B: First-time renewal post-licensing (effective Oct 1, 2024) - 12 hours, four set topics

Licensees renewing for the first time (salespersons licensed on or after February 1, 2024) must complete 12 hours of post-licensing courses covering four specific, non-negotiable topics rather than free-choice electives:

Key distinction: A first-time renewer cannot satisfy the requirement by taking any 12 elective hours of their choosing. The four post-licensing topics above are mandated. Watch for answer choices that let a new licensee "pick any electives" - that is the wrong-edition trap, since this rule took effect October 1, 2024.

Renewal Procedure and the Lapse Rule

Steps to renew on time

1. Complete the required CE before expiration (15 hours standard, or the 12-hour post-licensing set for a first renewal).
2. Include the mandatory components (the 3-hour Core for standard renewals).
3. Submit the renewal application through the OPLC online portal.
4. Pay the renewal fee ($90 salesperson / $110 broker).
5. Receive the renewed license for a new two-year term.

What "lapse" means in New Hampshire

New Hampshire does not offer a simple late-renewal-with-fee like some states. A license is deemed to lapse when the completed renewal application, fee, and supporting documents are not filed by the expiration date. A lapsed licensee is not authorized to practice - any real estate activity while lapsed is itself a disciplinary violation.

Reinstatement escalates with time

Critical trap: "My license expired last week, I'll just pay a late fee" is wrong in New Hampshire. There is no grace period that authorizes practice; the license lapses immediately at expiration and reinstatement - not late renewal - is required.

Status Types, Notifications, and Principal Broker Duties

License status types

Moving from inactive to active generally requires showing CE compliance for the relevant biennium, requesting the status change, and (for principal/managing brokers) evidence of the $25,000 surety bond under RSA 331-A:14. Inactive status keeps the credential alive but does not permit any real estate activity.

Required notifications

Licensees must promptly notify the Commission (through the OPLC portal) of a change in:

• Business address
• Mailing address
• Legal name
• Sponsoring/principal broker (for salespersons)

Principal broker responsibilities

Supervision trap: When a salesperson commingles escrow funds, the principal broker can also face discipline for failure to supervise, even if the broker did not personally touch the money. Liability flows up the supervisory chain.

Escrow handling in practice

Client funds (earnest money, security deposits, rents collected for owners) must be deposited into a dedicated escrow or trust account, kept separate from the broker's operating funds. The Commission may audit these accounts at any time, and reconciliation records must tie every dollar held to a specific client and transaction. Three escrow rules recur on the exam:

• Promptness: Deposit client funds promptly into the trust account, not into a personal or general business account.
• No commingling: Never mix the broker's own money with client money (a small documented amount to keep the account open is the only common exception).
• No conversion: Never use client funds for the broker's own purposes, even temporarily.

CE recordkeeping and audit

Licensees should retain their continuing-education certificates of completion in case the Commission audits CE compliance at renewal. Taking a course is not enough; the credit must be from a Commission-approved provider for an approved topic, and the 3-hour Core requirement (standard renewals) cannot be substituted with extra electives.

Renewal-timing trap: CE must be completed before the expiration date, not merely before you submit the application late. Completing 15 hours the week after expiration does not cure a lapse - the license has already lapsed and reinstatement rules apply.