The changes, which are effective immediately, remove references to hate speech, add a definition of harassment, and make the policy no longer applicable to all of a Realtor’s activities.
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After extensive debate, the board of directors of the National Association of Realtors approved changes to the trade group’s hate speech policy Thursday morning.
The changes, which are effective immediately, remove references to hate speech; add a definition of harassment inspired by NAR’s Member Code of Conduct; and make the policy no longer applicable to all of a Realtor’s activities, but only those related to real estate.
The changes apply to the Realtor Code of Ethics’ Standard of Practice 10-5, which originally read: “Realtors must not use harassing speech, hate speech, epithets, or slurs based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity.”
On Thursday, the NAR board voted 624-248 to change the policy to:
“Realtors, in their capacity as real estate professionals, in association with their real estate businesses, or in their real estate-related activities, shall not harass any person or persons based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
“As used in this Code of Ethics, harassment is unwelcome behavior directed at an individual or group based on one or more of the above protected characteristics where the purpose or effect of the behavior is to create a hostile, abusive, or intimidating environment which adversely affects their ability to access equal professional services or employment opportunity.”
The original 10-5 policy was approved in 2020. A Realtor who violates the policy is charged under Article 10 of the Code of Ethics, which prohibits denying equal professional services to anyone in those protected classes.
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