Answers to your questions about what these updates mean for NTREIS and our association members:
In light of the recent settlement of the 2024 National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Federal Class Action lawsuit, NAR has undertaken a comprehensive review aimed at reducing risks across their portfolio of recommended REALTOR® Association and Multiple Listing Service (MLS) procedures and policies. Click here to read more about these recommendations.
This thorough de-risking process was guided by leading antitrust experts from the esteemed law firm Sullivan & Cromwell and was further informed by the insights of the MLS Presidential Advisory Group (PAG), empowered by NAR President Kevin Sears. The MLS PAG convened four times, bringing together a diverse range of industry stakeholders, including brokers, association executives, MLS leaders, and industry partners.
To enhance clarity regarding local discretion and to modernize the MLS Handbook in line with current practices, the 2025 MLS Policy Risk Assessment PAG has proposed 18 key recommendations for updating the NAR MLS Handbook. Below, you will find a selection of modifications addressing common inquiries.
1. Did NAR’s policy updates change who decides MLS access requirements?
No. Local associations continue to have the authority to set their own MLS access policies including whether REALTOR® membership is required. NAR’s updates reinforce this local discretion rather than mandate any specific approach. This means each association’s Board of Directors determines access requirements based on their own governance and business needs.
2. Does NTREIS require REALTOR® membership for MLS access?
No. NTREIS does not require REALTOR® membership as a condition of MLS access. However, because MLS access is provided through your local association (not directly through NTREIS), some associations like GFWAR and GLAR do require REALTOR® membership as part of their local policies. Those are local association decisions that predate and are unaffected by NAR’s recent policy updates.
3. Did NAR’s updates affect the 3-way agreement between NAR, state
associations, and local associations?
No. The 3-way agreement structure remains completely intact and unchanged. NAR’s MLS policy updates focused on modernizing operational policies and reinforcing local decision-making. NAR did not alter the foundational agreement or governance relationships between NAR, state associations, and local associations.
4. Will these updates change my current MLS access or membership
requirements?
No. Your MLS access and any membership requirements remain exactly as they are today. If your local association requires REALTOR® membership for MLS access, that requirement continues. NAR’s policy updates simply clarify what has always been the case: these are local decisions, not national mandates.
Click here to view this information as a PDF.