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
When uploading photos to RMLSweb, the following considerations should be kept in mind:
- All photographs uploaded to RMLS must be owned by the Listing Agent.
- Photos cannot be taken from a previous listing even if there were only minor changes made to the property.
- Photographs cannot be uploaded from other MLSs to RMLSweb containing watermarks from the previous MLS (these would be considered images belonging to the other MLS).
- All copyright claims must be sent to RMLS via email, physical mail, or handwritten note.
- Once RMLS has received the copyright claim, we will remove the photos in question and reach out to the agent that used the photos to request a counter notice.
- A proper counter notice must contain the following information:
- Your name, address, phone number, and physical or electronic signature
- Identification of the material and its location before removal
- A statement under penalty of perjury that the material was removed by mistake or misidentification
- Your consent to local federal court jurisdiction, or if overseas, to an appropriate judicial body
- If it is determined that the photographs are not copyright infringement, they will be re-submitted to the listing.
For more information about photo usage, refer to section 10.3 of the RMLS Rules and Regulations.
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 one case (for unauthorized use of a lockbox) in June 2024, resulting in a $1,000 fine.
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 Tax ID jumped from 2 to 53
- Missing School rose from 15 to 75
- Duplicate Listing leapt from 21 to 93
- Conditions to Compensate fell from 66 to 11
- HUD dropped from 200 to 46
- Missing Condo Unit Number rose from 8 to 59
- Unauthorized Text in Photo fell from 163 to 99
Data Accuracy Department Statistics
The gain or loss comparison displayed in the parenthesis is versus the previous month.
- Listings Reviewed: 29,023 (+491)
- Notices Sent: 2,115 (-238)
- Violation Notices Received: 523 (+99)
- Courtesy Notices Sent: 2,879 (+829)
- Phone Calls Received: 580 (+3)
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.