NEWS
COE Article 3 draws the majority of violations in 2018
Number of REALTOR® Code of Ethics complaints and arbitration disputes combined holds steady from 2017
The Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association
in 2018 received a total of 49 new
ethics complaint filings and arbitration
dispute filings combined, a number that
is steady compared to the 50 new filings
introduced in 2017.
Forty-one of the 49 new filings were
REALTOR® Code of Ethics cases (which can
be initiated by a REALTOR® or a member of
the public), while eight were broker-to-broker
arbitration disputes (which exclusively
involve commission issues).
There are currently 11 ethics complaints
that were initiated in 2018 still working their
way through the formal resolution processes
overseen by the association’s Grievance
and Professional Standards committees.
2018 COMPLETIONS
A total of 42 ethics cases were completed
in 2018. Of those, 31 were resolved aft er
a hearing while six cases were dismissed
and five were withdrawn or closed. A total
of 80 ethics violations were identified within
those cases that completed the hearing
process, and they resulted in $2,000 in
fines. In 2017, those numbers were 91 violations
and $5,000 in fines, respectively.
The majority of ethics violations (23
percent) involved Article 3 of the REALTOR®
Code of Ethics, while 20 percent involved
Article 1. Article 2 garnered 15 percent of
the violations and Article 12 accounted for
9 percent.
ORRA OMBUDSMAN PROGRAM
ORRA ombudsmen were assigned
to 22 disputes in 2018. This special
program works to resolve disputes in
progress between both consumers
and REALTORS® and between association
members. Since the program’s
inception in 2015, ombudsmen have
responded to 96 requests for help.
Out of the 22 ombudsman assignments
in 2018, just two resulted in the
filing of formal ethics complaints.
Seven of 2018’s completed arbitration
disputes were resolved aft er a hearing,
while three were resolved via mediation
and none were withdrawn. The disputes involved
commissions worth $45,124, which
a huge drop from the $212,413 involved in
2017 and comparable to 2016’s $43,317.
Article 3
REALTORS® shall cooperate with other brokers
except when cooperation is not in the client’s
best interest. The obligation to cooperate does
not include the obligation to share
commissions, fees, or to otherwise
compensate another broker.
10 Orlando REALTOR® Spring 2019
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