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Resolving a Complaint
If you have a complaint against the real estate licensee you are working with, you should first make an attempt to talk to the broker to see if the issue can be resolved. If those efforts are unsuccessful,two avenues exist for making a formal filing regarding a licensee's behavior.
The first avenue is to file a complaint with the State Real Estate Commission if you feel the licensee has violated the New Jersey Real Estate Licensing Law. The Commission is the government agency that issues and maintains licenses and writes the Rules and Regulations to which all New Jersey licensees must subscribe. The Commission will investigate the complaint and, if violations of the license law are found, can impose sanctions ranging from fines to license revocation. Click here for more information on the Commission's complaint process.
The second avenue is only available if the real estate licensee is amember of the REALTOR® organization. REALTORS® subscribe to a strictCode of Ethics, and local associations are charged with ensuring itsenforcement. When a consumer complaint is received, the GrievanceCommittee, composed of REALTOR® members, reviews the allegations todetermine whether an article of the Code has been violated. This groupdoes not investigate the truth of the complaint, but rather assumes theinformation contained therein to be true. If the Committee finds anArticle (or Articles) has been violated, the Complaint is thenforwarded to a Hearing Panel. Local associations DO NOT determinewhether the license law or regulations have been broken. Sanctions fromthe association tend to be educational in nature, but can include finesand suspension from the association. For more information on the EthicsComplaint and Hearing Panel process, click here.
