ShareWASHINGTON, D.C. (May 11, 2023) — National Association of REALTORS® new-member applicants must now complete two hours of fair housing training and existing members must complete two hours of fair housing training every three years as a condition of REALTOR® membership, including one training option that is of no cost to members. The new requirement was approved by the association’s Board of Directors at its May 11 meeting. The three-year cycle coincides with NAR’s existing Code of Ethics training requirement and begins in 2025.
Courses satisfying the new NAR requirement are:
- At Home With Diversity, a course to help real estate professionals work successfully in an increasingly diverse marketplace
- Bias Override: Overcoming Barriers to Fair Housing, a course to help real estate professionals identify and interrupt stereotypical thinking to avoid fair housing pitfalls
- Qualified equivalent courses provided by state and local associations, institutes, societies and councils, and their partnered providers
- Qualified equivalent fair housing courses approved by state licensing authorities for an existing state fair housing requirement
- A to-be-created non-residential practitioner course focused on bias and anti-discrimination training
Fairhaven, NAR’s online fair housing simulation, will also be updated to meet the stated learning objectives and two-hour minimum time frame so that it can be included in the list of qualifying courses and serve as the no-cost option.
The recommendation came out of a workgroup appointed by NAR's Member Policy and Board Jurisdiction Committee, which advanced the recommendation to the board. NAR's Association Executives, Professional Development, Diversity and Fair Housing Policy committees also voted in support of the new fair housing training requirement.
NAR's Fair Housing Action Plan: ACT! aims to ensure REALTORS® are doing everything possible to protect housing rights in America, with an emphasis on accountability, culture change, and training