If You Are Charged

Read all of the information provided for you.  Most of the paperwork is formally notifying you that you have been charged with a violation of a specific article of the Code of Ethics.  However, you will want to draw your attention to the final piece of information called ‘Waiver of Ethics Hearing.’  This dictates that should you acknowledge the information put forth by the complainant to be true and acknowledge wrongdoing, you may waive your right to be heard at a hearing before your peers.  If you do not acknowledge the allegations by the complainant, you have an opportunity to respond.  Your response must be filed fifteen (15) days of the complaint being mailed to you. 

Review the Code of Ethics, become familiar with this document and the article(s) you allegedly violated.  The Professional Standards Hearing Panel will base their decision upon this document.

You must respond to the complaint as clearly as possible.   The burden of proof is placed upon the complainant’s shoulders to produce clear, strong, and convincing proof that you are in violation of an article(s).  To this end, you will want to add information that you think is pertinent to you case.  Remember that a complaint can never be dismissed by the Professional Standards department; it must go forward to a hearing before the Professional Standards Committee. 

Determine if you would like to have witness(es) present at your ethics hearing.  You must include a list of witnesses to the Professional Standards department fifteen (15) days prior to your hearing.

Determine if you would like to have REALTOR^® Counsel or an attorney (or both) present at your ethics hearing.  You must include the name, address, and telephone number of your REALTOR^® Counsel or attorney (or both) to the Professional Standards department fifteen (15) days prior to your hearing.

File your response with the Professional Standards department fifteen (15) days from the date the complaint was mailed to you.