*Please note: Any questions regarding Legal Hotline Spotlights should be submitted via the Virginia REALTORS^® Legal Hotline. Our attorneys are unable to respond to questions through our comments section.

Q: “I have a membership with a co-working space. Several of my agents use it to meet with clients and do closings. Do I have to have a branch office license for that space?”

A: Most likely no. Virginia’s real estate regulations state that a branch office license is not required for any location that you as a principal broker, or any of your employees or contractors, do not “own, lease, or maintain exclusive access to”. The exception to this is if the location is “held out to the public as a location where such persons or entities are regularly engaging in the activities of a real estate broker or salesperson”. So long as your agents don’t advertise that the location is open to the public for regular business meetings, you should not need a branch office license in this situation. 

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