Consent Order

Hong (Edward) Chen, while licensed with Multiple Realty Ltd., provided rental property management services when he was not licensed to do so, and provided these services outside of his brokerage.

Mr. Chen's wife was the sole director and shareholder of Worldever Trading, a company which did not have a licence to provide real estate services. After Mr. Chen completed the Rental Property Supplemental Licensing Exam, he began providing rental property management services to clients through Worldever Trading, although he had not applied for a rental property management licence. Mr. Chen's services were advertised on Worldever Trading's website and on local Chinese language websites.

By providing services that he did not have a licence for, Mr. Chen contravened section 3(1)(a) of the Real Estate Services Act.

By providing services outside of his brokerage, Mr. Chen contravened section 7(3)(a) of the Real Estate Services Act.

By not keeping his managing broker informed of the real estate services he was providing, Mr. Chen contravened section 3-2(2)(a) of the Rules.

By publishing advertisements that did not clearly indicate his name and his personal real estate corporations' name, and that did not include his brokerage's name in a prominent and easily readable way. Mr. Chen contravened sections 4-5, 4-6(1) and 4-6(2) of the Rules.

Mr. Chen provided rental property management services to approximately eighteen clients when his licence did not allow him to do so. Licensees must act with reasonable care and skill. Mr. Chen failed in this requirement, contravening section 3-4 of the Rules.

After the Council began investigating Mr. Chen's conduct, Mr. Chen and his wife ceased all operations of Worldever Trading. Mr. Chen applied for and received a rental property management licence. In June 2017, Mr. Chen became licensed as a sole proprietor under the trade name Worldever Realty, subject to a number of conditions imposed by the Council.

Results

A discipline committee of the Council has ordered the following:

1. Mr. Chen is reprimanded, and must pay a discipline penalty of $6,000.00 to the Council.
2. At his own expense, Mr. Chen must successfully complete the Rental Property Management Remedial Education course in the time period as directed by the Council.
3. Mr. Chen must pay enforcement expenses of $1,500.00 to the Council.

As Mr. Chen has a personal real estate corporation, Edward Chen Personal Real Estate Corporation is also reprimanded, and is equally responsible for paying the discipline and enforcement expenses.