Alabama Real Estate Commission Contingency Plan for COVID-19
October 22, 2020


Regarding Commission Meeting:
The next Commission meeting is scheduled on Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. in Montgomery, Alabama. Visit the Open Meetings website at openmeetings.alabama.gov for meeting information.

Regarding PSI Test Sites For Salesperson And Broker Exams:
All PSI test sites reopened on May 1, 2020. Due to needed spacing and separation, there is now a smaller number of examinees in each session. This may result in the needed rescheduling of an exam or a longer wait to take the exam. Commissioners have granted a 6-month exam deadline extension to everyone who was eligible to take the license exam on March 1, 2020 or later. Exams can be scheduled by calling 888-818-5824 or visiting goamp.com. For more information on new test site requirements due to specific CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) directions, please select the following link: psionline.com/wp-content/uploads/psi-services-covid-19-faqs.pdf.

Regarding Virtual Education An Option During COVID-19 Pandemic:
The onslaught of COVID-19 and the necessity to maintain space and distance require a different approach for classroom course delivery. Therefore, the Commission has approved the offering of all approved classroom courses for delivery through virtual platforms such as Zoom, Webex and other similar apps that allow instructors to verify that each registered student is present and participating. While the Commission is not setting a limit on the number of students per class, instructors are expected to use good judgment to assure that course credit is being accurately awarded.

All approved courses, salesperson and broker prelicense, salesperson post license and all continuing education courses, can now be delivered through virtual platforms until December 31, 2020.

Note: This approval of virtual delivery for classroom courses does not affect the availability of existing distance education courses. Those will remain options. You can check for approved courses at arec.alabama.gov.

Your Commission is committed to ensuring your license education requirements are available and literally at your fingertips. This pandemic has placed real estate educators in a great dilemma and licensees at an even greater disadvantage. This initiative hopes to close that gap and guarantee the availability of required CE service as needed by you.

Regarding Extended CE Deadline:
Due to the disruption in continuing education (CE) course offerings because of COVID-19, the deadline for completing the required CE to maintain an active real estate license for the upcoming 2021-2022 license renewal period has been extended to December 31, 2020. This extended deadline applies to any CE credit courses taken by licensees as well as the method by which the courses are taken. It applies to both classroom and distance education courses. Failure of active licensees to complete the 15-hour CE requirement by December 31, 2020, will result in renewed licenses being placed on inactive status as of January 1, 2021.

Regarding Deadlines and Extensions Other than Renewals and Continuing Education:
If a licensee or applicant cannot meet any other filing deadline during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to limited access to education, deadlines for salesperson prelicense course completion, post license course completion, broker prelicense course completion, and license application submission are extended until education and all course exam proctoring services are restored. The Commission will publish updates at arec.alabama.gov and on social media when deadlines are back in effect.

Regarding Fingerprint Sites for New Applicants:
Fingerprint sites may or may not be open. Those are beyond our control. However, our vendor, Gemalto, has assured us that they are instituting careful cleaning procedures and if sites must close, they will endeavor to open new ones. Consult their website at aps.gemalto.com. We advise temporary salesperson applicants, broker applicants, and reciprocal applicants who reside in Alabama to go ahead and send your completed application to the Commission office and then get your fingerprints when the site is open, and it is safe to do so.

Regarding Safer at Home Order:
The Honorable Kay Ivey, governor of Alabama, issued a Safer at Home Order which expires November 8, 2020.

Regarding Operations Of The Commission:
We want you to feel confident that the operations of the Commission will continue throughout this period. For the time being the office will be closed to licensees and the public. Licensees can leave any documents in the mail slot and speak to any team member by phone. As a result, we have enhanced some of our phone and internet procedures in the interest of our licensee and employee health and safety. Our team will remain accessible by phone and email. Stay tuned to our website and social media for updates and notices.

Regarding Payments:
Please be aware that if a payment needs to be made to the Commission, it can be made electronically at alabamainteractive.org/arecmenu/welcome.action.

PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING LINKS FOR CONTINUED UPDATES AND INFORMATION FROM THE ALABAMA REAL ESTATE COMMISSION:


Team Phones: Contact Us
Website: arec.alabama.gov
Facebook: facebook.com/ARECalabamagov
Twitter: twitter.com/ARECalabamagov
Instagram: instagram.com/ARECalabamagov

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