NAR Board to Vote on Recommendations to Code of Ethics

The National Association of Realtors® board of directors will vote on recommendations recently approved by NAR’s Professional Standards Committee. The six recommendations regarding the Code of Ethics applicability to discriminatory speech and conduct will be presented at the Nov. 13 board meeting.

According to NAR, the recommendations can be grouped into three broad categories:

1. Changes to the Code of Ethics’s applicability to a Realtor®’s activities
2. A new standard of practice under Article 10 that prohibits discriminatory speech and conduct
3. Revisions to the definition of public trust.

Throughout 2020, NAR has received an influx of complaints about Realtors® posting discriminatory speech and conduct online, especially on social media. The NAR Professional Standards Committee held a special meeting, which included a panel discussion on race, real estate and association leadership and ultimately referred the issue of the code’s applicability to discriminatory speech and conduct to the Interpretations and Procedures Advisory Board for their review.

Meeting virtually five times, and engaging in numerous discussions, the board created a package of recommendations. The Professional Standards Committee has approved all the recommendations of the Advisory Board. Six of the eight recommendations approved by the committee require approval by the NAR board of directors, who will hear the recommendations during their meeting on Nov. 13.

NAR has provided a resource with both the recommendations and answers to frequently asked questions about them at nar.realtor. You can send feedback to professionalstandards@nar.realtor.