What Happens if Your Agent Isn't Honest?

No doubt about it.  The vast majority of realtors© are ethical professionals who fervently strive to fulfill the best interests of their clients.  But there are those few who do in fact engage in unethical behavior during real estate transactions.  What should you do if you think you are a victim of such behavior?

If you suspect that your agent has engaged in less than honest practices, file a complaint with the agent’s local real estate association, which here in Chatsworth and Northridge is the Southland Regional Association of Realtors.  You will want to speak with someone from the Professional Standards Committee who will take your complaint.

Your complaint will be reviewed by a member of the Association’s Grievance Committee, of which I have been a member for four years.  Members of this committee are realtors© who volunteer their services.  The selected member will contact you and go over the complaint with you in detail.  Following this review the member will complete a detailed written report which is presented to the full Grievance Committee.  Acting as a sort of Grand Jury, the Committee will vote whether to send the matter to the Professional Standards Committee for a formal hearing.

The hearing panel, which also consists of realtors who have served at least three years on the Grievance Committee, will hear from both the complainants and the respondents (the accused realtors©)  Testimony is elicited and evidence is presented.  The panel will decide whether or not to sustain the allegations.  If the allegations are sustained, then the panel will impose a penalty, which can range from a warning, trainings, a written reprimand, a fine, or a combination thereof.  If the hearing does not sustain the allegations, then the accused realtor© is deemed to have been cleared of the charges.

You can also file a complaint with the California’s Department of Real Estate, which on July 1, 2013, will become the Bureau of Real Estate under the Department of Consumer Affairs.  Realtors© found guilty of misconduct at this venue can have their licenses suspended or revoked.

If you believe your realtor© has engaged in criminal misconduct, you can contact your local police agency, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, or the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.

As I said, most realtors© strive to achieve abject professionalism. and adhere to the National Association of Realtors© Code of Ethics.  They want nothing to do with dishonest or disreputable agents who darken the image of a profession of which we are so proud.  That is why I have been a member of the Grievance Committee for four years.  Insist that your agent abide by our Code of Ethics and delivers to you the highest levels of service excellence.

You can contact the Grievance Committee of the Southland Association of Realtors at 818-786-2110.  Hopefully, you will never have the need.