H. B. 4144
(By Delegates Sobonya, Beach, Faircloth,
G. White, Smirl, Howard and Renner)
[Introduced January 27, 2004; referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §30-40-5 of the code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to the practice of real estate
brokerage and excepting secretaries of real estate brokers who
set appointments with sellers and buyers from the scope of
practice.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §30-40-5 of the code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 40. WEST VIRGINIA REAL ESTATE LICENSE ACT.
§30-40-5. Scope of practice; exceptions.
(a) The practice of real estate brokerage includes acting in
the capacity of a broker, associate broker or salesperson as
defined in section four of this article.
(b) The practice of real estate brokerage does not include the
activities normally performed by an appraiser, mortgage company, lawyer, engineer, contractor, surveyor, home inspector or other
professional who may perform an ancillary service in conjunction
with a real estate transaction.
(c) The provisions of this article do not apply to:
(1) Any person acting on his or her own behalf as owner or
lessor of real estate.
(2) The regular employees of an owner of real estate, who
perform any acts regulated by this article, where the acts are
incidental to the management of the real estate: Provided, That
the employee does not receive additional compensation for the act
and does not perform the act as a vocation.
(3) Attorneys-at-law: Provided, That attorneys-at-law shall
be required to submit to the written examination required under
section twelve of this article in order to qualify for a broker's
license: Provided, however, That an attorney-at-law who is
licensed as a real estate broker prior to the first day of July,
one thousand nine hundred eighty, is exempt from the written
examination required under section twelve of this article.
(4) Any person holding, in good faith, a valid power of
attorney from the owner or lessor of the real estate.
(5) Any person acting as a receiver, trustee, administrator,
executor, guardian, conservator or under the order of any court or
under the authority of a deed of trust or will.
(6) A public officer while performing his or her official duties.
(7) Any person acquiring or disposing of any interest in
timber or minerals, or acquiring or disposing of properties for
easements and rights-of-ways for pipelines, electric power lines
and stations, public utilities, railroads or roads.
(8) Any person employed exclusively to act as the management
or rental agent for the real estate of one person, partnership or
corporation.
(9) Any person properly licensed pursuant to the provisions of
article two-c, chapter nineteen of this code when conducting an
auction, any portion of which contains any leasehold or estate in
real estate, only when the person so licensed is retained to
conduct an auction by:
(A) A receiver or trustee in bankruptcy;
(B) A fiduciary acting under the authority of a deed of trust
or will; or
(C) A fiduciary of a decedent's estate.
(10) Any person employed by a broker in a noncommissioned
secretarial or clerical capacity who may in the normal course of
employment, be required to:
(A) Disseminate brokerage preprinted and predetermined real
estate sales and rental information;
(B) Accept and process rental reservations or bookings for a
period not to exceed thirty consecutive days in a manner and procedure predetermined by the broker;
(C) Collect predetermined rental fees for the rentals which
are to be promptly tendered to the broker; or
(D) Make appointments on behalf of the broker or licensed
agents of the broker with buyers and sellers; or
(E) Any combination thereof.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.