The professional standard that sets REALTORS® apart from other real estate practitioners is their acceptance and adherence to the Code of Ethics. The Code has been revised many times through the years to reflect current developments in professional real estate practice. But even with the best of intentions, planning and preparation, occasional disagreements arise between REALTORS® and/or between REALTORS® and their clients or customers. As civil litigation becomes increasingly costly, time consuming, and burdensome, there has been a trend among private parties to settle disputes and conflicting claims through alternative means.

The Outer Banks Association of REALTORS® offers a process in which you can file a formal complaint against any of our REALTOR® Members.

The 1st method is an "Ethics Complaint," which would stipulate the REALTOR® is in violation of one of the articles of the Code of Ethics all REALTORS® swear to uphold. This method does specify that no monetary compensation may be granted through this process. A REALTOR® found guilty in an ethics complaint is subject to a list of "punishments," with the most severe being permanent expulsion from membership. There is no cost to filing such a complaint.

The 2nd method is an "Arbitration Request," which is centered around monetary disputes. In this method, the association (a specially trained panel of peers) will arbitrate the issue and determine if monetary compensation should be granted. We require a $250 deposit to initiate an arbitration request, which would be returned to you IF you win the case. If you lose, we keep the deposit. All REALTORS® are mandated to participate in confirmed arbitration requests, and refusal to do so can result in their expulsion from membership.

The 3rd method is "Mediation," which is considered an optional step to take prior to arbitration. This is a free service, but it is voluntary. However, we’ve found that when approached by the Board to mediate an issue, the member tends to quickly settle in order to avoid any further issues—such as an arbitration request. There is no guarantee, and again, the REALTOR® can refuse to participate. However, there is no cost to initiating it, and after a refusal or failure of mediation, you can choose to follow it up with an arbitration request and/or ethics complaint.

You can file both an Ethics Complaint and an Arbitration Request on the same issue, but we will hold off on processing the Ethics Complaint until the Arbitration process is completed.