Licensing and Enforcement Statistics 2023

BCFSA oversees nearly 30,000 real estate professionals across the province. As a regulator, we provide education and guidance to help licensees act as trusted advisors to their clients and comply with government requirements. When necessary, we enforce these requirements to protect consumers and maintain the public’s confidence. Here are some statistics from last year that showcase our work in action.

Practice Standards Inquiries

In 2023, our Practice Standards Advisors responded to an average of 29 inquiries per day, including:

• 6,122 inquiries from real estate professionals;
• 3,167 from the public; and
• 1,110 anonymous inquiries.

Complaints, Audits, and Disciplinary Actions

In addition to inquiries, we received 1,153 complaints against real estate licensees and undertook the following enforcement actions:

• 191 brokerage audits;
• 12 letters of advisement;
• 15 disciplinary hearings;
• 16 consent orders;
• 50 fines and administrative penalties, totaling $969,995;
• 1 suspension; and
• 0 appeals.

Education

As you’re aware, educational courses are required to ensure that real estate professionals in B.C. have the skills and knowledge necessary to be competent and compliant. Throughout the year, over 5,800 people participated in licensing courses. Here’s the breakdown by category:

• Trading services: 4,518
• Rental property management: 642
• Stata management: 430
• Managing brokers: 224

Real Estate Professionals

We also post the total number of licensees by level and category each quarter. As of December 31, 2023, the total number of real estate licensees in B.C. was 29,441. Below are the number of professionals by licensing level and type. Please keep in mind that some people are licensed in more than one category.

Licensing Level

• Brokerages: 1,544 (includes branch offices)
• Managing brokers: 1,296

• Associate brokers: 1,339
• Representatives: 26,806

Licensing Category

• Trading services: 27,393
• Rental property management: 4,655
• Strata property management: 1,503

For detailed quarterly breakdowns, please visit our quarterly statisics page for April 2023 to March 24 and April 2022 to March 2023.