No resolution, or compromise in manager licensing debate.The real estate community is split over a proposal to license residential property managers. Supporters say improved skills and accountability are reason enough to require licenses, while detractors cite bureaucratic hurdles as potentially disastrous components of the plan. An alphabet soup of trade organizations have lined up in both camps. By far the most outspoken proponent of licensing is the New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Association of Realty Managers (NYARM NYARM New York Association of Realty Managers ). "We've advocated this for over 12 years. We believe that licensing would establish a level of accountability that doesn't exist now," said P. Leonard Jones, the president of NYARM. Jones asked rhetorically why "brokers and appraisers all have to have licenses, why not us too?" According to NYARM, the New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal amount of districts, with each district having an average population of 127,000. has passed several bills concerning licensing of real estate managers. But the New York State Senate The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. The state Constitution provides that the default membership be fifty members. "holds up this very necessary legislation in committee." NYARM's political ally, State Senator Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn), is backing the proposal in Albany, but little progress appears to have been made. Speaking at a recent NYARM gathering, Kruger said that he had just returned from Albany, where "nothing happened." "We are on the verge On the Verge (or The Geography of Yearning) is a play written by Eric Overmyer. It makes extensive use of esoteric language and pop culture references from the late nineteenth century to 1955. of doing something with that piece of legislation," said Kruger, whose preaching to the choir generated several rounds of applause from NYARM members. Like Jones, Kruger used the word "accountability" to describe the legislation's purpose. Even with Kruger's political muscle, the licensing proposal has a formidable opponent -- none other than the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY REBNY Real Estate Board of New York ). Frank Ricci, the director of government affairs for the Rent Stabilization Association (RSA (1) (Rural Service Area) See MSA. (2) (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) A highly secure cryptography method by RSA Security, Inc., Bedford, MA (www.rsa.com), a division of EMC Corporation since 2006. It uses a two-part key. ), summed up the controversy as being "between REBNY and those who want licensing." He added that he considered the whole debate "a tempest in a teapot
REBNY president Steven Spinola said that "it is something that we will continue to oppose. "We believe that most managers are already licensed brokers. We believe that is enough," said Spinola. Not enough for NYARM President Jones, however. In a paper titled "Another Look at Licensing Property Managers," Jones summed up his view: "There are fiscal responsibilities, including monthly reports and budgeting, and many other issues when managing property today. In that context, a manager's job is often more reflective of a financial planner than of someone running a building." |
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