Overview
The New York State Board of Real Estate was established pursuant to §442-i of the Real Property Law. The effective date of this law was January 1, 1996.
Membership
The Board consists of fifteen members:
- The Secretary of State;
- The Superintendent of The Department of Financial Services; and
- Thirteen appointed members.
The appointed members are either real estate brokers or public members. A public member cannot be a real estate broker. The members of the Board are appointed by the Governor and the legislative leaders according to a specific statutory direction. See the "Appointments" section of this summary.
At least five members of the Board must be real estate brokers. To qualify, a real estate broker must be currently licensed as a real estate broker by the State of New York and must have been engaged in the real estate business in the State of New York for at least ten years.
The term of office is two years. A member may be appointed for successive terms, but no member may serve more than ten years in his or her lifetime. A member may be removed by the member's appointing authority.
In case of death or resignation, the successor shall be appointed by the person who appointed the member who has vacated his or her office.
Members of the Board receive no compensation for their service but are reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses.
Appointments
Eleven members of the Board are appointed as follows:
Governor | Temporary President of the Senate | Speaker Assembly |
Totals | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Real Estate Brokers | 3 | 1 | 1 | (5) |
Public Members | 4 | 1 | 1 | (6) |
(11) |
In addition, the Senate and Assembly Minority Leaders each appoint one member; and each Minority Leader may, at his or her discretion, appoint either a real estate broker or a public member. Thus, depending on the appointments by the Minority Leaders, the Board will be composed as follows:
- Seven real estate brokers and six public members;
- Six real estate brokers and seven public members; or
- Five real estate brokers and eight public members.
List of Members
NEW YORK STATE REAL ESTATE BOARD
Member Name, Address, & E-mail | Category | Appointed By |
---|---|---|
Robert J. Rodriguez |
Statutory
Board Chair |
|
Adrienne A. Harris, Superintendent Department of Financial Services One State Street New York, NY 10004-1511 |
Statutory | |
Edwin T. Clark Howard Hanna Real Estate Services 57 Monroe Avenue Pittsford, NY 14534 |
Real Estate Broker | Assembly Minority Leader |
Sandhya Espitia |
Public Representative | Governor |
Dherminder Bhasin Omni Realty 118-18 101 Avenue Richmond Hill, NY 11419 |
Real Estate Broker | Temporary President of the Senate |
Sandra Erickson Sandra Erickson Real Estate, Inc. 1920 Anthony Ave Ste. 1 Bronx, NY 10456 |
Real Estate Broker | Governor |
Gregory Weston Winston & Strawn LLP 200 Park Avenue New York, NY 10166-4193 |
Public Representative | Governor |
Neil B. Garfinkel Abrams Garfinkel Margolis Bergson, LLP 1430 Broadway, 17th Floor New York NY 10018 |
Real Estate Broker Board Secretary |
Governor |
Dale A. Burnett Assurant Asset Management 28 Liberty Street, 41st floor New York, NY 10050 |
Public Representative | Governor |
Diane M. Ramirez Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices | New York Properties 590 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10022 |
Real Estate Broker | Governor |
Chrystalia King, Esq. |
Public Representative | Temporary President of the Senate |
Shawna O. Menifee |
Public Representative | Governor |
Trisha Ocona |
Real Estate Broker | Speaker of the Assembly |
Duncan R. MacKenzie NYS Association of Realtors 130 Washington Avenue Albany, NY 12210-2220 |
Public Representative Board Vice Chair |
Senate Minority Leader |
David Dworkin 415 Park Avenue Rochester, NY 14607 |
Public Representative | Speaker of the Assembly |
3/2/2022
Members without business addresses may be reached through the Department of State.
Meetings and Procedures
The Secretary of State is the Chairperson. A Vice-Chairperson and Secretary are elected from among the other members of the Board.
A quorum for the Board is a majority of the entire Board; i.e., eight members.
A majority of the members currently serving on the Board is required for the passage of any resolution or approval of any matter before the Board.
The Board shall meet no fewer than three times per year at the call of the Secretary of State or a majority of the members.
In addition, the Board shall hold public hearings each year in New York City, in Buffalo, and in Albany. The purpose of the public hearings is to solicit public comment, suggestions, and observations about real estate practice in New York.
If a member fails to attend three consecutive meetings, the member shall forfeit his or her seat on the Board unless the Secretary of State, upon the request of the member, finds that the member should be excused due to illness or death in the family.
Powers and Duties of the Board
With the exception of matters delegated specifically to the Secretary of State, the Board has general authority to promulgate rules and regulations affecting real estate brokers and salespersons in order to administer and effectuate the purposes of Article 12-A of the Real Property Law.
The Board is specifically authorized to prescribe the content of courses of study for the examination and education of real estate brokers and salespersons. In addition, the Board may advise the Secretary of State on policies governing the administration of examinations.
The Board is specifically authorized to establish rules and regulations governing the approval, by the Secretary of State, of schools to offer or conduct courses for qualifying and continuing education.
The Board shall study the operation of the laws and regulations affecting real estate brokers and shall make recommendations on related pending or proposed legislation, excepting legislation and regulations related to nonsolicitation orders and cease-and-desist orders.
The Board may advise and assist the Secretary of State in carrying out the provisions and purposes of Article 12-A and make recommendations concerning the programs and activities of the Department of State in connection with the enforcement of the provisions of Article 12-A.
Annually, the Board shall submit a report to the Senate and Assembly Judiciary Committees, which report shall contain a description of the types of complaints received, the status of cases, and the length of time from the initial complaint to any final disposition.
Powers and Duties of the Secretary of State
The Secretary of State has the duty to administer all licensing, examination, education, and compliance provisions of Article 12-A; the rules of the Board; and the rules of the Secretary of State.
In addition, the Secretary of State has specific authority to adopt rules and regulations pertaining to the following matters:
- Commingling money of a principal;
- Rendering of accounts to clients;
- Managing property for a client;
- Broker's purchase of property listed with the broker;
- Inducing breach of contract of sale or lease;
- Records to be maintained by licensees;
- Handling of clients' funds;
- Nonsolicitation orders and cease-and-desist orders; and
- Administration and enforcement of the provisions of Article 12-A and the rules promulgated thereunder.
The Secretary of State has the authority to enforce the provisions of Article 12-A upon complaint by any person or upon his own initiative; to investigate any violation thereof; and to investigate the business, business practices, and business methods of any person applying for or holding a license as a real estate broker or salesperson. In addition, the Secretary of State has the authority to approve or deny license applications and renewals; and the Secretary of State may suspend or revoke a license, or impose a fine or reprimand, for violations of Article 12-A.
NYS Real Estate Board Meeting Summaries
To see the rest of the meeting details, visit the pressroom. To view past meeting recordings, visit our YouTube.
Public Hearings
PUBLIC NOTICE OF MEETING OF THE NEW YORK STATE BOARD OF REAL ESTATE AND PUBLIC HEARING PURSUANT TO PART WW OF CHAPTER 56 OF THE LAWS OF 2022
A public hearing pursuant to Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2022 will be conducted at the May 18, 2022, public meeting of the New York State Board of Real Estate regarding the proposed resolution authorizing the use of videoconferencing and written procedures governing member and public attendance. The public has the right to attend the public hearing to submit comments or may submit comments prior to the public hearing. For more information, please visit the Department of State’s Events page at https://dos.ny.gov/events.
Adopted Resolutions & Written Procedures
Videoconferencing/Remote Participation