NAR mandates fair housing training for all members
The Realtor association will now require its more than 1.5 million members to complete fair housing coursework every three years.
Key points:
- The move is intended to ensure real estate professionals are aware of and following rules related to the national Fair Housing Act.
- All NAR members will have to complete two hours of fair housing training every three years.
- The three-year cycle for existing agents will begin in 2025 in conjunction with NAR’s Code of Ethics training.
In order to bolster its commitment to housing rights for all, the board of the National Association of Realtors overwhelmingly voted this week to require fair housing training for its members.
All 1.58 million real estate professionals who are members of NAR must complete the training in order to remain in good standing with the country's largest real estate association. New members will be required to have completed two hours of training while existing members will need to complete two hours of fair housing training every three years.
The organization said the three-year cycle coincides with its Code of Ethics training requirement and will begin in 2025.
NAR said it is offering several courses to satisfy its new fair housing practices and standards training mandate, including the At Home With Diversity certification and the Overcoming Barriers to Fair Housing course. Additionally, NAR will make updates to its Fairhaven fair housing simulator to reflect the change.
According to NAR, 67% of Realtors are licensed as sales agents, while 21% of members hold broker licenses and 14% have broker associate licenses. The majority — or 66% — of all Realtors are women, while the median age is 56 years old. About a third hold a college degree while another 29% have some college education.
The Fair Housing Act was ratified into law as a part of the broader Civil Rights Act of 1968. The federal-level law, which takes precedence over state and local laws, mandates that no person shall be discriminated against or denied housing by real estate professionals or lenders based solely on race or color, religion, sex, country of origin, familial status or disability.