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Community Association Management

Many communities find professional community association management to be an invaluable aid for boards of directors. A professional community association manager (“CAM”) provides a large range of services for communities, typically tailoring those services to the needs of an individual community.

State law defines “community association management services” as, including, collecting or disbursing association funds, obtaining insurance for a community association, arranging for and coordinating maintenance to association property, and otherwise overseeing the day-to-day operations of the association.

Unless exempt, anyone providing community association management services to a mandatory membership association with common property must be licensed by the Georgia Real Estate Commission. In fact, except in limited circumstances, only a real estate broker licensed by the Georgia Real Estate Commission is permitted to engage in community association management services. However, a licensed broker can delegate these responsibilities to certain licensed sales people and CAM’s who hold their license with such broker and who will be acting on behalf of such broker.

What are licensing requirements for CAMs?

In order to obtain a broker, salesperson or CAM license, individuals are required to meet educational, testing and other requirements and submit to a criminal background check. Thereafter they must complete and submit an application for their desired license.

Individuals hired on a full-time basis as employees of a single community association do not need to be licensed. In other words, a community association can hire an unlicensed manager to work directly for the association so long as such individual works only for that community and is employed by that community on a full-time basis. This exemption does not apply, to on-site managers who are actually employed by a management company.

Another exemption is for people in community associations who perform management services only for the one community in which they are members. This means, for example, that a member of a community association can perform management-related services for that community without needing to be licensed.

Additionally, individuals who perform only ministerial tasks or physical maintenance are exempt from the licensing requirements. Thus, the law does not require licensing of maintenance personnel or people who provide strictly data entry for a management company.

Some other relevant requirements of the license law relate to the sales and marketing activities of the broker. For instance, a real estate broker or management company cannot engage in sales and leasing activities in a community managed by such broker or company, without the written permission of the association.

In addition, it is a violation of state law for a real estate broker to solicit the business of a community association or submit a proposal for management to a community if the broker knows or has reason to believe the community is managed by another licensed management company, unless:

(1) The association board of directors requests the proposal in writing; or,

(2) The current broker managing the community allows the competing broker to submit such a proposal or bid.

This is just a general discussion of highlights of the manager licensing requirements in Georgia. Real estate brokers, salespeople and community association manager and management companies should review the laws in detail and contact the Georgia Real Estate Commission with any questions about licensing requirements.

Visit the Georgia Real Estate Commission Website for more information on licensing and continuing education credit submittal.

WNCW is now offering the CAM pre-licensing course. Click here to register!

Pre-Licensing CAM Course

WNCW is proud to announce that we are now offering the CAM pre-licensing course through the WNCW Academy!

Click here to register or for more information!

WNCW Continuing Education Classes
As a leader in the industry, WNCW is honored to be designated by the Georgia Real Estate Commission as an authorized school of instruction for continuing education for community association managers and other real estate licensees. The WNCW school offers quarterly opportunities for continuing education credit, making it convenient and cost-effective. Each class is approximately 3 hours long, providing 3.0 approved credit hours through the Commission. Course content varies, focusing on community association issues. Each class is taught by a WNCW school instructor.

WNCW School Rules
The following school rules apply to each class offered:
You must be ON TIME AND PRESENT FOR THE ENTIRE COURSE in order to receive continuing education credit. Pursuant to the rules of the Georgia Real Estate Commission, no partial credit will be given under any circumstances. No audio/video taping permitted.

No recruiting for employment opportunities for any real estate brokerage firm is allowed in this class or on the premises of any building in which it is offered. Report promptly any effort to recruit by anyone to Regan Holroyd, Weissman, Nowack, Curry & Wilco, P.C., One Alliance Center, 4th Floor, 3500 Lenox Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30326, 404.926.4500, or to the Georgia Real Estate Commission.

Continuing education courses are offered at the Weissman, Nowack, Curry & Wilco's Buckhead location. Visit www.wncwacademy.com for registration information.

For more information on the Academy or the courses offered, please contact us at:

The WNCW Academy
One Alliance Center, 4th Floor
3500 Lenox Road
Atlanta, GA 30326
(404) 926-4500 Telephone
(404) 926-4791 Facsimile
Email:  academy@wncwlaw.com