Permanent Surrender of Licence

REAL ESTATE COUNCIL OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

In the matter of the Real Estate Services Act

S.B.C. 2004 ch. 42

NOTICE OF PERMANENT SURRENDER OF LICENCE

Chi Yuen (Julia) Lau, currently unlicensed, while licensed as a representative with Local Venture Corp. dba Homeland Realty, Vancouver, requested the Real Estate Council of British Columbia to discontinue disciplinary proceedings against her as she had decided to permanently surrender her real estate licence. Ms. Lau was facing a disciplinary hearing into her professional conduct while licensed as a representative with West Coast Realty Ltd. (Van49) dba Sutton Group-West Coast Realty (Van49), Vancouver and would have been required to appear before a hearing committee of the Real Estate Council to respond to these allegations.

The allegations against Ms. Lau in the Notice of Discipline Hearing are that she:

1. failed to ensure that there was an adequate level of supervision for her unlicensed assistant while the unlicensed assistant was performing duties on her behalf in connection with obtaining listings for certain properties;
2. either paid, offered to pay, or agreed to pay, or some or all of them, remuneration to her unlicensed assistant in relation to her performance of real estate services, and more particularly but without limitation, in relation to the unlicensed assistant's efforts to obtain listings for certain properties, for which the unlicensed assistant was required to be but was not licensed; and
3. in connection with her response to the Council's inquiries about her conduct, described in paragraph (1) and (2) above, made or allowed to be made false or misleading statements in a document that was required to be produced or submitted under the Real Estate Services Act by providing an account of her conduct to the Council which was false or misleading or both.

There has been no discipline hearing or finding of fact with respect to these allegations, and no admissions to these allegations by Ms. Lau.

The Council was satisfied that, in the circumstances of this case, permanent surrender of Ms. Lau's licence in lieu of proceeding with disciplinary action was appropriate. The permanent surrender of Ms. Lau's licence was effective as of January 9, 2015, although she surrendered her licence to the Real Estate Council on January 8, 2015.