June 2026
We know that one of the most frequently read segments of the Oregon Real Estate News–Journal (OREN-J) is the Administrative Action section. Sharing administrative actions with the public is mandated by statute in ORS 696.445, and the Agency is required to either publish a brief description of the situation involved and our grounds for action, or alternatively, we must publish a complete final order by the Agency. Since we began distributing the OREN-J electronically, the Agency has opted to provide a link to all final orders.
The terms “administrative action” and “sanction” are often used interchangeably, and both describe the Agency’s progressive discipline process. As described in OAR 863-027-0020(1):
The goal of progressive discipline is to correct a licensee's inappropriate behavior, deter the licensee from repeating the conduct, and educate the licensee to improve compliance with applicable statutes and rules. Progressive discipline means the process the Real Estate Agency follows, which may include using increasingly severe steps or measures against a licensee when a licensee fails to correct inappropriate behavior or exhibits subsequent instances of inappropriate behavior.
As you can see from this rule, our goal is to educate first and only suspend or revoke for repeated or more egregious violations. In cases of theft or misappropriation of client funds, the Agency has zero tolerance and has sufficient grounds to seek revocation first, bypassing the progressive discipline process
As I have given presentations or taught continuing education classes throughout the state, I have shared this message. There is widespread trust that the Agency is fulfilling its regulatory role and sanctioning licensees when appropriate.
One takeaway from these community-partner engagement opportunities is that, while licensees appreciate learning through reviewing the published Administrative Actions, there is a desire to know more about our compliance efforts that operate without much visibility. We have been asked to share more detail about these behind-the-scenes educational efforts, which often take the form of non-disciplinary Educational Letters of Advice (ELOAs).
ELOAs are issued for minor violations that do not rise to the level of a licensing sanction, and in most cases, licensees use this information as it was intended — as corrective feedback to bring their professional real estate activity into compliance. Also in most cases, the licensee does not repeat the behavior that warranted that first ELOA, and their license credential remains unaffected publicly.
Licensing Division
Complaints submitted to the Agency through our online portal are processed by Licensing Division staff. Upon receiving the complaint, we send a copy to the respondent to give them an opportunity to provide a response to the allegations.
Once we receive the response, both the complainant’s and respondent’s documentation is reviewed by Licensing Division staff.
There are four possible outcomes:
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Closed for no jurisdiction: The most common reasons that we close complaints for no jurisdiction are that they involve tenant/landlord law, or involve transaction disputes, both of which are civil matters.
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Closed with no further action: While the Agency may have jurisdiction, the complaint did not meet the threshold for investigation per OAR 863-027-0010, such that there were no reasonable grounds to believe a licensing violation may have occurred.
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Opened for investigation: The allegations fall under Agency jurisdiction and there are reasonable grounds to believe a licensing violation may have occurred. The case is then referred to the Regulation Division and assigned to an investigator.
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Closed with an Educational Letter of Advice: The Commissioner, or Licensing Manager acting under delegated authority, determines that a minor violation may have occurred but the matter does not warrant further investigation.
The Licensing Division issued 106 ELOAs in 2025 and 75 ELOAs in 2024. For reference, the division received 509 complaints in 2025 and 360 complaints in 2024.
The following charts illustrate the Top 10 most common reasons ELOAs were issued in 2025 and 2024.
Note: An Educational Letter of Advice may cite multiple issues within a single ELOA. These reason descriptions are also used for Administrative Actions, but the specific circumstances involved when issuing an ELOA were more minor in nature.
Compliance Division
This division conducts clients’ trust account and compliance reviews and conducts other compliance-related efforts such as hosting continuing education courses. Over the past several years, the Compliance Division has significantly increased its number of completed reviews – from 238 by 2022 year-end to 470 in 2025. The goal is to bring licensees into compliance to prevent consumer harm and refer cases where more serious violations may exist to the Regulation Division for further investigation.
The following charts illustrate the Top 10 most common reasons ELOAs were issued in 2025 and 2024 by the Compliance Division.
Note: An Educational Letter of Advice may cite multiple issues within a single ELOA. These reason descriptions are also used for Administrative Actions, but the specific circumstances involved when issuing an ELOA were more minor in nature.
Regulation Division
The Regulation Division is responsible for conducting investigations opened by the Licensing Division, or those referred from the Compliance Division following a clients' trust account review. Upon a full and impartial investigation, respondents are informed their case is closed with no further action, they are notified that the Agency is pursuing administrative action, or they are issued an Educational Letter of Advice.
In 2025, the Regulation Division completed 122 investigations; 39% were closed with no further action, 39% resulted in administrative action, and 22% were closed with an Educational Letter of Advice.
The following charts illustrate the Top 10 most common reasons ELOAs were issued in 2025 and 2024.
Note: An Educational Letter of Advice may cite multiple issues within a single ELOA. These reason descriptions are also used for Administrative Actions, but the specific circumstances involved when issuing an ELOA were more minor in nature.
Future Reporting
To keep readers informed of the nature of complaints and violations we are experiencing, we will begin sharing year-to-date ELOA information in each issue of the Oregon Real Estate News-Journal. This information will be shared alongside Administrative Actions, so you have a more complete picture of our regulatory and compliance efforts. Since ELOAs are not a licensing sanction, we will not be sharing licensees’ names.