Canadian · Professional Licensing
BC real estate licence lookup.
Real estate licensees, brokerages and property managers in British Columbia are regulated by BCFSA — the BC Financial Services Authority, which now carries the licensing and enforcement role the Real Estate Council of BC (RECBC) used to hold. Here's how BCFSA's own public search works, and a direct link to it.
Important, up front: BCFSA calls its own licence-number search "limited" and labels the whole tool an "unofficial search" — it shows only the current licence period, not full history. This page explains the format and links straight to BCFSA's own live search — it does not and cannot confirm a licensee's status on its own.
How BC identifies a real estate licensee
BCFSA assigns a licence number to every individual and brokerage licensed under BC's Real Estate Services Act. Its own site doesn't publish a fixed digit format or check-digit formula for that number — it's an internal registry identifier, not a self-checking one. You'll usually find it on:
- A licensee's business card, listing sheet or email signature
- A brokerage's signage or website "our agents" page
- A contract, disclosure form or trust account statement
Because there's no public formula to check, a number that "looks right" tells you nothing about whether it's real, current, or attached to an active licence — BCFSA's own search is the only way to confirm that.
Verify a licensee
BCFSA's Find a Professional tool offers three ways in: by individual or business name, by team name, or by licence number. Results show licensee/brokerage status, business type, and any public licence conditions or regulatory actions; BCFSA's own disclaimer notes the licence-number path returns limited information and recommends the name search for full results.
Why you'd check a BC real estate licence
The most common reasons someone checks BCFSA's search: confirming a realtor you just met is actually licensed before signing a listing or buyer's agreement, checking a brokerage before wiring a deposit, verifying a name on a contract matches a real licensee, and confirming there's no public licence condition or discipline history before choosing who to work with.
What Find a Professional actually shows
BCFSA's search returns the licensee or brokerage's business type (trading, rental property management, strata management), licence conditions the Superintendent of Real Estate has imposed, and any regulatory actions. BCFSA is explicit that results reflect only the current licence period, not full licensing history, and that third-party information it considers an unreasonable privacy invasion is redacted.
Frequently asked questions
Is BCFSA the same as the Real Estate Council of BC (RECBC)?
BCFSA is BC's current real estate regulator and now carries the licensing search and enforcement role RECBC used to hold. If you're looking for "RECBC," BCFSA's Find a Professional tool is where that search lives today.
Can I validate a BC real estate licence number without visiting BCFSA?
No. BCFSA has never published a checksum formula for licence numbers, so there's no way to mathematically confirm one offline. BCFSA's own search — and it says so itself — is an "unofficial search"; for anything that matters, BCFSA recommends contacting them directly to confirm.
What if a licensee doesn't show up in the search?
They may not currently hold a BC real estate licence, may be registered under a different legal or business name, or their licence may have lapsed or been suspended. Try the name search instead of the licence-number search for more complete results, or contact BCFSA directly.
Format explainer only — not a verification tool
This page describes how BC identifies real estate licensees and how BCFSA's search works. It does not check anyone's licence status, and nothing you might type here is transmitted anywhere. Use the official BCFSA Find a Professional tool linked above to confirm a licensee is currently in good standing.