How to verify a real estate license in Kansas

The five professions at a glance

Real estate agents and brokers

Kansas bars anyone from acting as a broker, associate broker or salesperson without a license, unless an exemption applies (K.S.A. 58-3036). The Kansas Real Estate Commission runs the public search at licensing.ks.gov. It lets you search for a licensee, company or school by license number or name, and its notice says licensee and company information is open for public use. The same notice bars using the lists of names and addresses to sell property or services (Kansas Open Records Act, K.S.A. 45-220(c), 45-230, as quoted by the Commission).

Check two things: that the name matches the person you are dealing with, and that the license is active. Then read how agency works in Kansas seller disclosure and real estate commission.

Mortgage loan originators

A person who originates loans for a licensed mortgage company must first register with the State Bank Commissioner, keep an NMLS unique identifier, and may work for only one licensed mortgage company at a time (K.S.A. 9-2203). The Office of the State Bank Commissioner regulates mortgage businesses and loan originators and offers a company lookup online (OSBC). Banks, savings institutions and credit unions are exempt from licensing under the Kansas mortgage business act (K.S.A. 9-2202), so for those lenders check the federal registry. The federal NMLS Consumer Access site (nmlsconsumeraccess.org) is the national lookup by name or NMLS ID. I could not open that site, so test it yourself. Compare lender quotes on the Loan Estimate; see closing costs explained.

Home inspectors

The Kansas statute that registered home inspectors, K.S.A. 58-4501 and the sections around it, carries the history note “Expired, July 1, 2013” at the Revisor of Statutes. I found no current Kansas statute that licenses or registers inspectors, so no state database exists to look them up. Ask each inspector for proof of insurance, sample reports and references, and read what an inspection costs. Lead-paint inspections are different: EPA runs a locator for certified lead-based paint inspectors.

Appraisers

No one other than a state certified or licensed appraiser may do a written appraisal for a real estate-related financial transaction in Kansas, and violating this rule is a class A nonperson misdemeanor (K.S.A. 58-4103). Look up the appraiser on the Kansas Real Estate Appraisal Board’s “License Verification” page, and on the Appraisal Subcommittee’s national Appraiser Registry, which lists appraisers authorized by a State to perform appraisals for federally related transactions. Cost and process are in home appraisal cost.

Land surveyors

It is unlawful to practice a technical profession in Kansas without a license under the technical professions act, which covers professional surveying (K.S.A. 74-7001, 74-7003). The State Board of Technical Professions issues those licenses. The board’s website refused my connection, so I could not read its lookup tool; call the board to confirm a license. See what a survey costs.

What to do if a license is expired or missing

Do not hire the person until the regulator confirms the status. Ask the professional to explain; renewal gaps happen, and the Appraisal Board, for example, notes that late appraiser renewals are accepted until September 30 and unrenewed licenses are then forfeited. If the license is missing for a job that requires one, report it to the regulator named in the table. For local help, see Overland Park.