Professional Standards

STATEWIDE ENFORCEMENT BY GAR

The purpose of the Statewide Professional Standards enforcement procedures providing for the appointment of Mediation Officers and the establishment of a joint Grievance Committee, Professional Standards Committee, and an Appeal Panel comprising members from each signatory Board/Association for enforcement of the Code of Ethics, including the mediation of disputes, the conduct of ethics and arbitration hearings involving members of the signatory Boards/Associations to ensure impartial and unbiased Hearing Panels in an efficient and effective basis to better serve the members. The authority for the establishment and utilization of the Statewide Professional Standards enforcement procedures shall be established by the Agreement approved by the Georgia Association of REALTORS® Board of Directors. The geographic area served by this Agreement shall be the area of the combined territorial jurisdiction assigned by the National Association of REALTORS® to the Boards/Associations which are signatories to this agreement. To find out more about the Ethics and Arbitration process from the National Association of REALTORS®, please visit NAR Professional Standards.

ARBITRATION REQUESTS

Arbitration, a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), is a legal technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts. The parties to a dispute refer it to one or more persons (the "arbitrators", "arbiters," or "arbitral tribunal"), whose decision (the "award") they agree to be bound. It is a settlement technique in which a third party reviews the case and imposes a decision that is legally binding for both sides. A Request for Arbitration must be filed: 1) after the real estate transaction giving rise to the dispute has been completed; 2) within six months after the facts constituting the Arbitration matter could have been known in the exercise of reasonable diligence; 3) by the broker of a real estate agency. Learn more about filing requests for arbitration.

MEDIATION VS. ARBITRATION

Watch NAR's one-minute video, which provides a brief summary of the benefits of mediation.

Learn more about the Ethics and Arbitration process from the National Association of REALTORS®.

Please contact Christina Chow, Director of Legal Affairs at 678-597-4128 or cchow@garealtor.com if you have any questions about the Ethics and/or Arbitration process.