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With the deadline for the current Code of Ethics cycle on Dec. 31 and the new fair housing/anti-bias training requirement launching on Jan. 1, the National Association of REALTORS® has staff experts and resources to help. Here, we tackle your questions about how to properly vet and use third-party course providers.
Some of our members have been taking Code of Ethics courses from course providers I’m not familiar with. Do we have to accept these courses for credit?
Prior to the current Code of Ethics cycle, the NAR Leadership Team made a change to the requirements to state that only those courses and equivalencies provided by a local, state or national REALTOR® association (or their partnered providers) can satisfy the Code of Ethics training requirement. This was meant to ease the burden on associations that had previously spent an inordinate amount of time reviewing courses given by third-party providers. It can be assumed that any equivalent Code of Ethics course provided by another state or local association has been vetted and reviewed by that association, so those courses should be given credit at any REALTOR® association without the need for further review.
Associations are under no obligation to accept Code of Ethics equivalency courses from third-party providers unless those providers have previously set up a partnership with a state or local association to provide the course to their members. A best practice for third-party providers would be to include this information on their completion certificates for ease of processing. If proof of that partnership isn’t readily apparent, associations may ask the student to contact the course provider to provide verification of its partnership with a state or local REALTOR® association before accepting the course for credit.
Keep in mind that associations may still review and accept courses from third-party providers who have otherwise not partnered with any other associations, if they choose to. There is just no obligation to do so. An association that would like to review and approve courses on a case-by-case basis may want to consider its affirmative review of a qualifying course as a “partnership” with that course provider, which would allow other associations the ability to accept the course in the future without any additional review.
If reviewing equivalent courses, you will want to make sure a course meets the 2.5-hour minimum and the required learning objectives.
Do these guidelines also apply to the upcoming two-hour fair housing/anti-bias training requirement for REALTOR® members?
Yes. The guidelines for fair housing/anti-bias training equivalency courses are modeled after the guidelines for Code of Ethics equivalent courses. Only those courses and equivalencies provided by a local, state or national REALTOR® association—or their partnered providers—can satisfy the fair housing/anti-bias training requirement. The one difference is that courses given by state licensing authorities to satisfy an existing fair housing requirement for state licensing purposes can also be used as equivalent courses, but a state or local association will still need to review those courses to ensure they meet the two-hour minimum and required learning objectives.
For more information, contact narpolicyquestions@nar.realtor.
