Steps to follow to obtain a Florida CAM license
Community association managers, or simply known as CAM, refers to an individual that is tasked with the management of common property or services through homeowners or community associations. Here in Florida, it is mandatory for anyone managing more than 10 units (or an annual budget more than $100,000) to have a Florida CAM license. This license ensures that people who assume responsibility on management of community property understand what is required of them. Those that fail to abide by these requirements can get their licenses revoked.
Below are the steps that you can follow if you are interested in obtaining a Florida CAM license. To begin with, an applicant needs to be at least 18 years of age, pass the CAM exam within one year of completing the course, and be of unquestionable character.
Register for CAM courses online
This is the initial step towards obtaining a CAM license Florida. What you need to do is to get in touch with a facility offering the course and register with them. The facility should be in a position to provide the course details and in most cases this is also available online. Registration also requires payment of the required fees, and it is important to be aware of what is compromised in the fee paid. For example, you can query if the course materials are included or not.
Make application to the state of Florida
After registration with a learning facility offering the CAM course, you will then be required to make an application for a Florida CAM license with the state. This is usually a necessity in readiness of a consequent test that is to be done by the state before a license is awarded. This step involves payment of the license fee which is made to the department of business and professional regulations (DBPR), and this can be easily be done online. Further to this, you are required to register for electronic fingerprinting to facilitate the running of background checks.
Attend the CAM license course
This is an 18-hour mandatory course where you will be taken through the management of community property including the legal aspects as well as customer service. While at this step, it is important to ensure that you thoroughly understand the requirements of the course as this is vital in later during state exam as well as during your professional life. After the satisfactory completion of the 18 hour Florida CAM course, a course completion certificate is awarded.
Submission of the certificate of course completion
Upon receiving the completion certificate for the Florida CAM course, the next step involves submitting the certificate to the state through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. This can be done either via mail or fax, and it is important to include the application number provided earlier, your full name, and your contact information such as email and phone number. Once this has been done, it takes about 10 to 30 days for this to be reviewed to enable you to proceed to the next step which is taking a Florida state test.
Schedule, take and pass the state exam
The final step in acquiring a Florida state CAM license is to take the state exam. After DBPR as approved your application after the submission of the completion certificate, you will have one year to schedule take and pass the exam. This is the most challenging part of the process since the pass mark is set at 75%, and if this is not achieved within one year, the applicant will be required to retake the course. As a result, it is important to be well prepared for this from the word go.
Conclusion
The Florida CAM licensing process is one of the most competitive in the country, and the result of this is thriving community associations. This is a great thing for homeowners and also easy for the state of Florida, homeowners, and community associations.