The South Carolina Real Estate Commission (SCREC) and the South Carolina Labor Licensing Regulation (SCLLR) are both departments of the South Carolina state government that regulate professional licensing for South Carolina real estate agents.
The key difference between the two departments is that the SCREC is specific to real estate professions, including real estate agents, brokers, and property managers, while the SCLLR oversees all professional licensing within the state (which includes occupations like nursing, accounting, and cosmetology).
Let’s take a closer look at each department, starting with the supervisory SCLLR.
What Does the SCLLR Do?
As mentioned, the SCLLR oversees all licensing and regulation for all professional fields in the state of South Carolina. So they supervise the SCREC and work closely with the real estate commission board members, but you, as a real estate licensee, may not interact with them much.
The SCLLR often acts as the intermediary between the public and the individual licensing commissions. They’ll run public relations campaigns, promoting their efforts to make South Carolina a safe place to work and live, and they’ll hold meetings with licensing commissions to discuss ways to improve standards of service, and they’ll pass public complaints along to the appropriate licensing commission to be addressed as needed.
But the front-line work is handled by the SCREC.
What Does the SCREC Do?
Under the supervision of the SCLLR, the SCREC is responsible for:
Approving applicants to sit the state real estate exams
Issuing professional licenses to real estate agents, brokers, and property managers
Renewing licenses for real estate professionals
Regulating the educational requirements and curriculum for real estate professionals
Holding real estate licensees to a standard of professionalism
Addressing consumer complaints against real estate licensees and determining whether disciplinary action should be taken.
This is the department you’ll work with as you prepare to become a South Carolina real estate agent, broker, or property manager and continue your career as a real estate professional.
Even before you apply for your license, the SCREC provides useful resources to help you understand the basic requirements for licensees, give an overview of the application process, and explain the various fees you’ll pay on your way to becoming a licensed professional.
The SCREC has already approved the curriculum for the required real estate courses you’ll take. And they’ve approved the questions for the real estate exam you’ll sit. The SCREC will also issue your real estate license and renewals.
Does SCREC Regulate All Real Estate Licensing?
SCREC focuses on the sales and management side of the real estate industry, handling licensing for real estate agents, brokers, and property managers.
There are several real estate professions that are regulated by different departments under the SCLLR umbrella. These other regulatory departments include:
Architectural Examiners
Building Codes Council
Contractor’s Licensing Board
Engineers/Surveyors
Manufactures Housing Board
Real Estate Appraiser’s Board
Residential Real Estate Commission
When you’re ready to start training for your new career in real estate sales, you can check in with the SCREC’s website to make sure you meet the basic requirements, then sign up for your SCREC-approved real estate courses. Your new career is waiting!