CCAR has three groups that help uphold professional standards:
    1. The Grievance Committee
    2. The Professional Standards Committee
    3. The Board of Directors

This week we’ll describe the role of the Grievance Committee. If someone believes a REALTOR^® member of CCAR has acted unethically or has violated a membership or MLS duty, they can file a complaint — but it has to be submitted within 180 days of when they knew (or should’ve known) about the behavior. The complaint should cite the specific Article(s) of the Code of Ethics that may have been violated and include a brief description of what happened that supports the allegations that the cited Article(s) were violated.

The Grievance Committee reviews the complaint to decide if, assuming everything in it is true, it could be an ethics violation. They don’t decide who’s guilty or innocent — their role is to see whether the complaint deserves a hearing by the Professional Standards Committee. The parties are not present during the review. Sometimes, the Grievance Committee might dismiss a complaint. That doesn’t mean they don’t believe the Complainant — it just means that, as written, the complaint wouldn’t support a finding of a Code violation. If the committee dismisses a complaint, the Complainant can file an appeal to the Board of Directors. If the committee does move a complaint to a Professional Standards hearing, that doesn’t mean they think the Respondent is guilty — only that the concerns deserve a closer look by the hearing panel.

In short, the Grievance Committee acts as an important gatekeeper — ensuring that all complaints are properly filed, substantiated, and appropriate to advance to a formal hearing.
Apply to Serve on the Grievance Committee >>