The Rules Roundup provides a monthly accounting of RMLS rules violations and courtesy notifications. Our Data Accuracy team manages all reports of property listing errors, tracking 27 specific issues outlined in the RMLS Rules and Regulations, and is responsible for addressing subscriber questions and concerns regarding listing accuracy.

HIGHLIGHTS

Dispute Resolution for Reported Violations

We’d like to offer insight into our dispute resolution process and how we address reported violations.

There are three methods for reporting violations:

• Phone
• Email
• Report Issue button (directly on listings).

Upon receipt, a Data Accuracy staff member assesses the report to determine if it constitutes a violation and identifies the type of violation involved. There are two types:

• Informal
• Formal

If the reported violation could be classified as formal, we typically consult with the reporting party to ascertain whether they prefer us to educate the agent being reported or to proceed with a formal violation submission.

Should the reporting party opt to submit a formal violation, we direct them to form 1452, which initiates the formal violation process.

• A notice is sent to the respondent broker informing them of the violation and requesting a response to the violation.
• Both parties’ submissions are presented to the Rules Committee at the next meeting for review
• The Rules Committee deliberates on the violation to determine if a violation occurred. If it did, they would issue a fine in accordance with the violation.
• The respondent broker is then informed in writing of the decision made by the Rules Committee. If a fine was issued, they have the right to appeal that decision to the hearings committee.

For informal violations, we engage with the reported agent in one of three ways:

• Send a violation notice through the Listing Data Checker
• Initiate a discussion via phone call
• Send an email notification

 We will continue to reach out to the agent until a resolution is achieved. In instances where attempts to contact the agent yield no response after multiple attempts, we involve the designated broker in the communication.

Maintaining fair practices and standards is best accomplished by partnership between RMLS and our subscriber community.

FORMAL VIOLATIONS

The RMLS Rules and Regulations Committee reviews all formal complaints which allege a violation of the RMLS Rules and Regulations. The committee has the power to impose sanctions.

The committee reviewed three cases in March 2024 resulting in fines of $250 (marketing property before publishing), $250 (solicitation of a listing under contract), and $200 (input or status change over 24 hours).

INFORMAL VIOLATIONS

The chart below shows violations that generated at least 15 instances in the past month. Some notable gains and decreases are noted below. 

• Missing Owner Name almost doubled, going from 107 to 207.
• Duplicate Listings and Duplicate Listing Sold in Diff. Categories both jumped from 13 to 40.
• Missing Tax ID feel from 93 to 19.
• First Photo Not Land Photo, Sign in Photo, Missing School, and Incorrect Status all fell below 15.

Data Accuracy Department Statistics

The gain or loss comparison displayed in the parenthesis is versus the previous month.

• Listings Reviewed: 22,733 (+3,296)
• Notices Sent: 2,014 (-149)
• Violation Notices Received: 460(+121)
• Courtesy Notices Sent: 1,677 (-14)
• Phone Calls Received: 589 (+10)

How to Report Violations

Subscribers have multiple options to report violations, including a Report Issue button on every RMLSweb listing. Subscribers can email our Data Accuracy team at dataaccuracy@rmls.com or call them at 503.395.1916. When there are increases in specific violation types, we sometimes place notifications on RMLSweb.