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The National Association of Realtors’ board of directors voted Friday to approve a new policy that bars members from using “harassing or hate speech” anywhere, at any time.
The policy, which bars such behavior towards anyone on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation and gender identity, was developed after the association began receiving complaints about some members’ online behavior earlier this year. The policy is based on the existing requirements in Article 10 of NAR’s Code of Ethics, which bar discrimination against people belonging to those classes during real estate transactions and related activities.
The policy also attracted criticism from some agents who claimed the policy would infringe on their free speech rights as it expands the association’s efforts to regulate members’ behavior outside real estate transactions and related activities. However, NAR’s announcement of Friday’s vote confirmed the policy would not increase existing legal liabilities members face.
“I applaud NAR’s board of directors and our professional standards committee for their efforts to raise the bar on the professionalism and private speech of America’s 1.4 million Realtors,” NAR President Vince Malta, broker at Malta & Co. in San Francisco, said in a statement. “Combatting and overcoming bigotry and injustice starts with each of us. Realtors today took tangible steps to ensure we are held to the highest possible standard while providing a mechanism of enforcement for those who violate our new policies.”
Going forward, panels formed by local Realtor associations will be able to hear complaints of Article 10 violations on a case-by-case basis. NAR said its professional standards committee will continue working to develop case interpretations to assist members these panels.
