What Does a Leasing Agent Do? (US & Canada Career Guide)

If you're looking for a way into real estate that doesn't require years of study or a big bank balance, leasing might be the best-kept secret in the industry. Every apartment community, office tower, shopping center and warehouse needs people who can fill space and keep it full. And right now, leasing is where a lot of the hiring is.

At the end of the third quarter of 2026, the Center for Real Estate Technology & Innovation (CRETI) counted 660 active US job listings explicitly labeled as residential leasing, residential construction or brokerage. Nearly two-thirds of them, 423 positions, were for residential leasing. As CRETI put it, the housing labor market is "weighted toward operating assets rather than simply transacting them." Translation: even when sales are slow, buildings still need people.

What a leasing agent actually does

There are two quite different flavors of the job.

Residential leasing agents (often called leasing consultants or leasing professionals) usually work on-site at an apartment community. A typical day might include:

• Answering calls, emails, texts and online inquiries from prospective renters
• Giving tours of model units and available apartments, in person and by video
• Screening applicants against the community's rental criteria, in line with fair housing law
• Preparing and explaining leases, handling move-ins and processing renewals
• Checking competitors' pricing and specials so your community stays competitive
• Following up on resident issues and maintenance requests

The National Apartment Association's CALP program is a good snapshot of the full job: marketing, reputation management, the tour, qualifying prospects, the move-in process, renewals and "maximizing revenue."

Commercial leasing agents are usually licensed brokers or salespeople at a brokerage. They represent either landlords filling office, retail or industrial space, or tenants looking for it. The work is less about tours every hour and more about market research, negotiating lease terms, rent abatements and tenant improvement allowances, and building long relationships. Deals take longer, but they're bigger.

Skills that matter

Honestly, the best leasing people I've met are great with people first and great with property second. The skills that make the difference:

• Warmth and energy. You're often the first human a renter meets. Make it count.
• Sales discipline. Follow-up wins leases. Most people don't follow up enough.
• Organization. Applications, documents, deadlines and renewals pile up fast.
• Fair housing knowledge. Non-negotiable. Treat everyone consistently and by the book.
• Comfort with technology. Property management software, CRMs, online listing platforms and self-guided tour systems are now standard.

On that last point, let's be realistic about AI. Chatbots already answer many after-hours inquiries and book tours. That doesn't remove the need for leasing professionals; it removes the busywork so you can spend time where humans win: building trust and closing. Use tools like Grok Bot, Claude or ChatGPT to draft follow-up emails, summarize a competitor market survey, or practice handling tricky questions before a tour. Just never paste a renter's private information into a tool without your company's approval.

Licensing in the US

This is where it gets state-specific, so read carefully.

• Commercial leasing for clients requires a license. If you're negotiating leases for other people for a fee, you generally need a state real estate salesperson or broker license. The BLS notes every state licenses brokers and agents, typically requiring you to be 18, complete prelicensing courses and pass an exam.
• On-site apartment employees are often exempt. Many states carve out salaried employees working at an apartment community. For example, Florida's statute exempts salaried employees of an apartment community working in an on-site rental office, and Texas' regulator TREC explains an exemption for on-site apartment managers. Exemptions are narrow, and some states limit what unlicensed staff can negotiate.

My advice: check your state real estate commission's website before you start, and if you have ambition beyond one building, get licensed anyway. It widens your options enormously.

The credential worth getting: the CALP (Certified Apartment Leasing Professional) from the NAA Education Institute. It requires seven courses, an exam within six months of declaring candidacy, and six months of on-site leasing experience (you can earn that while you study and get a provisional certificate in the meantime). Renewal is $75 a year plus five hours of continuing education. On the commercial side, the CCIM designation is a respected long-term goal for leasing and investment brokers.

Licensing in Canada

In Canada, real estate is regulated provincially, and the pattern is similar: employees leasing for their own employer are often exempt, but anyone leasing for third parties usually needs to be registered or licensed.

• Ontario: under the Trust in Real Estate Services Act, a full-time salaried employee acting for their employer is generally exempt from registration with RECO, but independent contractors and anyone acting for third parties are not.
• British Columbia: BCFSA's licensing exemptions guidance says genuine employees of the property owner are exempt for that owner's properties. Ongoing rental property management for others needs a rental property management licence.

Other provinces have their own regulators, so check before you apply.

What it pays

Pay depends heavily on which side of leasing you're on.

• Residential leasing: CRETI's Q3 2026 data showed a median advertised pay of $20 an hour for residential leasing roles, with the middle half ranging from $16.50 to $24.50 an hour. Among listings showing an annual salary, the median was $76,000. Many communities add lease-up and renewal bonuses, and some offer rent discounts.
• Commercial leasing: usually commission-based. The BLS reports a median of $52,830 for real estate sales agents and $73,220 for brokers in May 2025, with the top 10% of agents earning more than $123,590 and the top 10% of brokers more than $143,300. Strong commercial leasing brokers can do much better, but earnings can be lumpy early on.

In Canada, check Job Bank's wage data for your province and city.

The career path

Leasing is a launchpad. A common residential path looks like:

1. Leasing consultant
2. Senior leasing consultant or leasing manager
3. Assistant property manager
4. Community or property manager
5. Regional manager, asset manager or operations leader

On the commercial side, you might start as a leasing associate or broker's assistant, earn your license, build a book of landlord or tenant clients, and grow into a senior broker, team lead or in-house leasing director for a REIT or developer.

How to get started

• Apply to a large apartment operator. They hire entry-level leasing staff year-round and often pay for training and credentials.
• Start the CALP courses to show commitment and learn the craft fast.
• Learn fair housing rules inside out before your first tour.
• Get licensed if you want commercial work or more flexibility later.
• Track your numbers. Tours, applications, leases and renewals. Results get you promoted.

Leasing rewards people who like people, love a bit of friendly competition and want to learn real estate from the ground floor. It's a genuinely great place to start.

Ready to start leasing?

Apartment operators, property managers and brokerages are hiring across the US and Canada. Browse the latest leasing and property jobs on PropertyRoles and take your first step today.