What I'm looking for is a prohibition on the payment of referral fees of more than $50 in value to "all" brokers, "licensed and unlicensed brokers," and/or "any person." 

You do NOT want unlicensed companies on the property doing who knows what, anything bad (fires/floods/etc) happens and you are on the hook for damages plus insurance may not cover claims.This is a no-brainer.

Talk to your PM, express your concerns, and see if they can justify the cost.The bid you received may be from an unlicensed handyman that doesn't have insurance, won't pull a permit, and takes shortcuts.

@Scott WilliamsonIt’s not about the permits - are you referring to more unlicensed contractorsAlso we are seeing fix and flips in our area and now having dramatic price drops so they are not making any money.

Hard/Private money: typically shorter terms and come from unlicensed individuals or companies funding with their own money or a fund.

Here is what I tell anyone that might do business with an unlicensed broker:1.

I have a development and construction company and used unlicensed subs a lot of times when I know the quality of their work.With the 30k budget, it is doable for touch up and re-sand/paint projects without major changes (depends on sqft as well).

I know this doesn't help you get your money back but you can always report them to the MN Dept of Labor if they are unlicensed: https://www.dli.mn.gov/busines...For future reference what is nice about hiring someone with a license is that you can be eligible to use the recovery fund for an out of pocket loss.

Does he have mechanics lien rights even though he is unlicensed and not required to be licensed in the county?

Depends on your state I think as to if they can pay unlicense entities commission.Some people think LLC creates some anonimity and protection.