REALTORS® are held to a professional standard that goes well beyond the minimum requirements of the law. By choosing to join the National Association of REALTORS® and the Marin Association of REALTORS®, our members voluntarily commit to upholding the NAR Code of Ethics, ensuring fair treatment, respect, and prioritized client interests in every transaction.
Professional Standards: We enforce the Code of Ethics through rigorous peer review, handling grievances, and adjudicating ethics complaints.
We offer mediation, arbitration, and ombudsman services to help resolve misunderstandings and business disputes between professionals or clients.
Anyone who believes a member has violated the Code of Ethics has the right to file a formal complaint.
For questions regarding filing an ethics complaint, requesting arbitration, or understanding your rights, please review the Before You File page.
For additional assistance, please reach out to our Professional Standards Administrator, Linda Conaway, at ProStandards@MarinREALTORS.org or 800.446.3646
To get started, complete and submit the Disciplinary Complaint Form D-1. Your submission needs to include the completed form, a supporting written statement labeled as Exhibit 1 along with any relevant documents or materials, and—if you choose—the specific Code of Ethics Articles you believe were violated. If you aren’t sure which articles apply, you can elect to leave them blank and ask the Grievance Committee to determine them for you, though you must still provide Exhibit 1 and your supporting materials.
For the smoothest processing, your complaint form, narrative, and all supporting documents must be combined and submitted as a single PDF document arranged in the correct order. If your file is too large to send as one attachment, you may send the files separately as long as each one is in PDF format and clearly numbered to show the proper sequence.
Filing a disciplinary complaint asks the Association to investigate whether a member may have violated the National Association of REALTORS Code of Ethics or other rules within the Association’s jurisdiction. It is important to understand that this is an internal review process rather than a lawsuit, meaning it does not decide private contract, property, or licensing disputes, nor does it award monetary damages.
Specifically, the Association cannot cancel, enforce, or award damages under a contract, give money to a complainant, or take any action concerning a member’s real estate license status. If a member is ultimately found to have violated the Code of Ethics or other membership duties, they may face professional discipline under the California Code of Ethics and Arbitration Manual.
If you decide to move forward, please note the strict filing deadline. A disciplinary complaint must be submitted no later than 180 calendar days after whichever comes later: the date the alleged conduct and facts could have been known through reasonable diligence, or the conclusion of the transaction or event giving rise to the complaint.
Need guidance on the REALTOR® Code of Ethics? C.A.R. offers a free, confidential infoline connecting members with trained volunteer peers for non-legal ethics assistance. Available to members not currently involved in a local ethics case or pending litigation, this service provides verbal insights on whether specific actions may violate the Code.
To request help, simply submit your contact info, real estate license number, and a brief description of your issue online or by calling (213) 739-9160. (Note: Volunteers cannot provide legal advice, and local panels are not bound by their opinions). Interested members can also apply to become a volunteer by completing a training course and exam.
