At their mid-December meeting, members of the IAR Executive Committee adopted the Ethics Citation Program for members of local associations that participate in our statewide professional standards program. This includes all Indiana REALTORS® except those with primary membership in the MIBOR REALTOR® Association because MIBOR runs its own professional standards program. That doesn’t mean MIBOR members should stop reading. There are helpful reminders about the IAR Legal Hotline and Code of Ethics training toward the end.
The program’s goal is to speed up the processing of certain ethics complaints and it is effective Jan. 1, 2019. Here’s the full IAR policy governing the Ethics Citation Program including a schedule of fines.
How Does the Program Work?
Here’s a short summary of how the program works:
First, complaints begin at the local association level. That’s where you receive the necessary paperwork. Then, a panel of at least three people will review ethics complaints to determine eligibility for the program. Panelists are members of the IAR Professional Standards Committee with significant experience hearing professional standards cases.
Second, the respondent gets a choice. They can pay a citation and avoid a lengthy, uncomfortable hearing process. Or, respecting the right for due process, they can request a hearing – to which the complainant would need to attend. Both citation and hearing details are confidential.
Think of the Ethics Citation Program as the deferral program offered for certain traffic tickets. You can pay a fine or go to court. Either way, justice is served. And there’s a limit to how often you can use the program, which prevents abuse. The same is true for the new IAR program.
IAR Policy: Ethics Citation Program
Got Questions?
Complaints begin at the local association level. That’s where you receive the necessary paperwork. Your local association staff can advise you on procedural questions when you’re ready to file.
Otherwise, our Professional Standards Administrator, Laura Sallie, is available to answer policy-related and general professional standards questions. As are our real estate attorneys who staff the IAR Legal Hotline. Ask your Managing Broker to call or authorize you to call the hotline:
1-800-444-5472
Monday – Friday | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET
Calls are answered in the order they are received, always by phone, and within 24 hours.
Reminder – Code of Ethics Training
REALTORS® must complete training on the NAR Code of Ethics every two years. That’s because the Code is a lengthy document that includes numerous articles and standards of practice. It’s also a living document that could change on an annual basis.
A training cycle just ended. Did you complete Code of Ethics training between Jan. 1, 2017 and Dec. 31, 2018? If not, you need to complete Code of Ethics training ASAP or risk termination of your REALTOR® membership the end of February.
Because we know how busy you are, IAR’s school, RECP, offers Code of Ethics training online. In fact, we’ve got two different classes to choose from. Bonus: RECP’s classes each qualify for 3 hours of Indiana Real Estate Broker Continuing Education.
Where Fair Housing Meets the Code of Ethics
These classes also satisfy the new Code of Ethics training cycle that began Jan. 1, 2019. Pick one and get a jump on requirements or wait until RECP’s new class debuts. Sign up to be among the first notified.