It’s official – the Department of Real Estate is back! The former Bureau of Real Estate has regained independence and is back to operating as an independent Department within California’s government structure. Since this announcement, management has scrambled to hire administrative staff to support the Department, filling 18 new positions in July; but those are not the only positions needing to be filled. As the prime season for homebuilding gets underway, staffing in the Subdivision sections of the Department of Real Estate is leaner than before. The Sacramento District Office is looking to fill three Deputy positions, and Los Angeles will be filling one clerical and one Budget Review position. In addition to the vacant position, almost 20% of DRE staff is out of the office for extended medical leave. With this decrease in personnel, we can expect to see delays in filing response times, which are already processing at maximum mandated timeframes for single phase subdivisions and master file submittals.
While the Department has been functioning with fewer staff members, it is important to point out that filings in 2018 are up 7% across the board over last year, so the DRE has been functioning with less than full staff for most of the year. While the hiring process should be shorter with the new Department status, it is still a process none the less. Once on board, the new hires will have a training period of several months. Looking to get ahead of the game? Avoid postponements and get a jump on your upcoming projects in anticipation of extended turnaround times at DRE.
Contact our office today and let us help propel you through this busy season.
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