- Are you at an impasse with another REALTOR® regarding one of your transactions?
- Do you wonder if your offer has been presented?
- Do you need to know the status of your client’s earnest money?
- Why won’t the other REALTOR® respond regarding a showing appointment?
- Why has my real estate company not received the commission check for the rental property where I found a tenant?
Try the Illinois REALTORS® Ombudsman Program, which uses a confidential process to assist members when professional issues like these arise.
The program fields complaints and answers questions based on transactions, the Code of Ethics and commission disputes, to name a few examples.
However, an Ombudsman cannot give legal advice or advocate for one person over another.
The Ombudsman can provide guidance on what steps to take, suggest additional resources and in most cases act as an intermediary in resolving basic problems or disputes. Many disagreements do not require the filing of formal ethics complaints, can be easily resolved and therefore offer speedier resolutions.
Once request forms are submitted, you will be contacted by an Illinois REALTORS®-trained Ombudsman within 24 hours.
The Ombudsman assigned to your request will get permission from you to contact the other REALTOR® and share any information you would like to communicate with the other party.
The Ombudsman will then help the parties resolve the issue(s).
In 2020, there were 265 requests for Ombudsmen services with 73 percent resolved to the satisfaction of the person filing the request. As you can see, this process has been highly successful. However, if satisfactory results do not occur, the parties can file traditional ethics complaints, with the state licensing authority or file lawsuits if circumstances warrant.
For more information on this program or to submit a request, please visit www.IllinoisRealtors.org/Ethics/Disputes.