To earn the RPA® designation, you must successfully complete these six mandatory courses plus the Ethics Is Good Business® ShortCourse™:

• Budgeting and Accounting
• Real Estate Investment and Finance
• Environmental Health and Safety Issues
• Law and Risk Management
• The Design, Operation, and Maintenance of Building Systems, Part I
• The Design, Operation, and Maintenance of Building Systems, Part II
• Ethics Is Good Business® ShortCourse™

Plus, you must successfully complete one other course.
You may select from these four electives:

• Fundamentals of Real Property Administration
• Leasing and Marketing for Property Managers
• Asset Management
• Managing the Organization

Plus RPA® Designations require professional experience to complete the qualification process as detailed below.

Experience Requirement for an RPA® Designation
In addition to fulfilling course completion requirements and before the RPA® designation is awarded, a candidate should be able to demonstrate three years of property management experience. This experience must be performed for a portfolio or building 40,000 square feet or larger. Work-related experience must include responsibility in 18 of the following 25 categories:

1. Write bid specifications for building services such as janitorial, engineering, or security, etc.
   
2. Investigate and respond to inquiries from the public concerning the property and/or prepare reports required for compliance with current or planned laws and public policies
   
3. Supervise the control and implementation of a preventive maintenance system, life safety/environmental management system, and energy management program
   
4. Perform routine inspections of the property to ensure proper operation of building systems, tightness of the building envelope, proper maintenance, and code compliance
   
5. Authorize or recommend authorization levels of insurance coverage for properties
   
6. Investigate accidents, vandalism, or property damage, recommending action and/or submitting claims for payment to an insurance carrier
   
7. Handle or coordinate outside and/or in-house counsel on legal issues
   
8. Be responsible for the day-to-day operation of property, including control of supervision of building staff, job assignment, contract administration, and inspection
   
9. Administer service contract for property
   
10. Analyze or prepare pro forma operating statements (including financial) and, when appropriate, recommending changes or taking action
    
11. Prepare and/or analyze and/or approve annual operating budget(s) and/or expense budget(s) including preparation
    
12. Perform cash flow analyses or present value analyses on the leases within a property
    
13. Prepare and/or implement a risk management program based on property
    
14. Prepare capital expense program and complete cycle costing analyses of feasibility studies of these improvements as appropriate
    
15. Analyze actual vs. planned expense variances and establish a program to control unfavourable expense variances
    
16. Analyze the cost of major equipment against the income statement and recommend possible alternatives to purchase
    
17. Develop the property plan that addresses tenant mix, tenant placement in the building, match of floor plate to tenant type, and lease terms and expirations
    
18. Develop a tenant relations plan that coordinates who in the property organization contacts tenants about which issues; frequency of contacts; needs and preferences of each tenant; and provisions for tenant retention
    
19. Handle or coordinate outside and/or in-house consulting services of architects, engineers, and other professionals on technical issues
    
20. Contract and/or manage tenant improvement, moves, and reconfiguration projects
    
21. Be responsible for sales, marketing, promotion, or leasing programs for a property, including local market analysis
    
22. Prepare and administer an IAQ plan for the property, including delineation of legal responsibilities of tenants and landlord for maintaining good indoor air quality, tips on tenants' role in maintaining good IAQ, and procedures for handling IAQ complaints
    
23. Prepare and administer a hazardous material plan, including delineation of legal responsibilities of tenants and landlord for handling of hazardous materials
    
24. Sign and/or negotiate leases for signature within the project
    
25. Administer leases within a building portfolio to ensure compliance with all terms and conditions of lease

To earn the Real Property Administrator (RPA®) designation, candidates are required to demonstrate three years of verifiable property management experience. This policy ensures that people awarded the RPA are high-calibre, well-trained professionals — experienced in real property management. It’s called the RPA® Experience Requirement, and it’s one of the many reasons that the RPA® carries so much respect in the industry.

Click here for RPA Experience Requirement Application