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 34 specific issues outlined in the RMLS Rules and Regulations, and is responsible for addressing subscriber questions and concerns regarding listing accuracy.

HIGHLIGHTS

Personal promotion is consistently one of our top violations, and a good many of them result from virtual tours. While virtual tours are an excellent tool to give buyers a feel for a home and help them decide if they want to see it in person, there are rules which govern these tours.

Keep in mind that personal promotion is not allowed anywhere in the virtual tour or on the website you use to host them.

Hired photographers will often offer you branded and non-branded versions of your tour. Only the non-branded version is allowed to be hosted with the listing. Neither you or anyone associated with you is allowed to be on the tour. We have seen many cases where the photographer will host your tour as well as other non-branded tours on their channel, which is a great option.

There are many websites and services that provide packages and host non-branded videos, including Vimeo and Matterport, and YouTube is a great free option. Make sure the website you are using is not affiliated with you in any way. This means not including your first, last, or brokerage name, or any contact information. Remember that the purpose is to advertise the house and all its attractive features, not yourself. It’s a good idea to have one channel dedicated to non-branded virtual tours and nothing else.

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 in August of 2022.

Type of violation: Unauthorized use of RMLS lockbox access

Resulting fine: $2,000.00

INFORMAL VIOLATIONS

Listings missing Tax ID information are consistently the top informal violation within RMLSweb. Sometimes the missing tax information is due to an error of omission. Other times, it may be because the listing is a new construction property that does not yet have a tax ID number available. Data Accuracy sends courtesy notices out to remind agents of the need to provide the tax information (when available).

The chart below shows the next three most frequent informal violations from August 2022.

This pie chart shows the remainder of the informal violations last month.

Data Accuracy Department Statistics 

• Listings Reviewed: 19,448
• Notices Sent: 3,168
• Violation Notices Received: 387
• Courtesy Notices Sent: 2,381
• Phone Calls Received: 413

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.

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 34 specific issues outlined in the RMLS Rules and Regulations, and is responsible for addressing subscriber questions and concerns regarding listing accuracy.

HIGHLIGHTS

One of the most common listing violations concerns missing school information. Elementary and High School are both required fields, so selecting “other” when entering a listing will result in a violation notice. Let’s talk about why listings are entered without school names and how to prevent that.

The number one reason this field is left blank is because the appropriate school did not show up on the drop-down list. School names populate on the drop-down list based on the area number that is selected.

If you do not see the correct school’s name, first verify that your area number is correct. Here are a few key tips that will make finding your area number a breeze and help you find the school you are looking for.

1. You can find maps labeled with commonly used area numbers and maps here: Toolkit > Forms and Documents > All Documents > 1200-1299 Property Listing Menu > 1200-1209 Area Maps and Lists.

2. You can also use the Map Search to find the Area number:

• • From the menu bar select Search > Map Search.
    
  • In the Locate field on the right, above the map, enter the address and click Go.
  • Verify the pin is in the correct location.
  • At the top left, click the Layers button and turn on the Area layer. This will display the area numbers on the map. (You may need to zoom out a bit to get them to show)

3. If you have verified that your area number is correct and the school is still not showing, check with the school district to verify that the school is still open and hasn’t changed names recently. Also ensure that the school in question is a public school and not a private school – private schools are not included in RMLSweb.

4. Lastly, you can always contact rules@rmls.com to inquire about schools or let us know of any school information changes.

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 did not review any cases in July 2022.

INFORMAL VIOLATIONS

Listings missing Tax ID information are consistently the top informal violation within RMLSweb. Sometimes the missing tax information is due to an error of omission. Other times, it may be because the listing is a new construction property that does not yet have a tax ID number available. Data Accuracy sends courtesy notices out to remind agents of the need to provide the tax information (when available).

The chart below shows the next three most frequent informal violations from July 2022.

This pie chart shows the remainder of the informal violations last month.

Data Accuracy Department Statistics 

• Listings Reviewed: 21,179
• Notices Sent: 2,782
• Violation Notices Received: 418
• Courtesy Notices Sent: 2,044
• Phone Calls Received: 447

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.

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 34 specific issues outlined in the RMLS Rules and Regulations, and is responsible for addressing subscriber questions and concerns regarding listing accuracy.

HIGHLIGHTS

Coming Soon-No Showing (CSN) listings are a popular choice to drum up interest in a property that is not quite ready to show. Before publishing a listing as coming soon it is important to determine the date you would like to begin marketing that property.

The Date Marketing to Begin field (Broker / Agent information tab) is the date the property will move out of CSN status and into ACT (Active) automatically. Please make sure to enter the date you will be prepared to show the property in this field.

A common mistake with this field is filling in either the current date or the date the agent wants the CSN to go live – but these mistakes cause the listing to go Active within the next day. Important Note: We do not have a way to convert a property back to CSN once it has gone Active.

So, unless you want to settle for a status change to Withdrawn (WTH), please make sure to enter the date that marketing of the listing should begin.

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 did not review any cases in June 2022.

INFORMAL VIOLATIONS

Listings missing Tax ID information are consistently the top informal violation within RMLSweb. Sometimes the missing tax information is due to an error of omission. Other times, it may be because the listing is a new construction property that does not yet have a tax ID number available. Data Accuracy sends courtesy notices out to remind agents of the need to provide the tax information (when available).

The chart below shows the next three most frequent informal violations from June 2022.

This pie chart shows the remainder of the informal violations last month.

Data Accuracy Department Statistics 

• Listings Reviewed: 22,859
• Notices Sent: 2,951
• Violation Notices Received: 396
• Courtesy Notices Sent: 2136
• Phone Calls Received: 475

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.

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 34 specific issues outlined in the RMLS Rules and Regulations, and is responsible for addressing subscriber questions and concerns regarding listing accuracy.

HIGHLIGHTS

Agent reported violations are down 16% year-to-date from this time last year. This may be due to overall low inventory, less overall violations, or just less reporting of those violations, but it’s important to remember that RMLS relies on our subscriber’s assistance to help identify inaccuracies so that we may both address the inaccuracies and inform subscribers on how to avoid such errors. Accurate data matters highly to everyone in the real estate industry. Check out The Lifecycle of a Reported Issue to learn more about how we process these entries.

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 did not review any cases in May 2022.

INFORMAL VIOLATIONS

Listings missing Tax ID information are consistently the top informal violation within RMLSweb.

The chart below shows the next three most frequent informal violations from May 2022.

This pie chart shows the remainder of the informal violations last month.

Data Accuracy Department Statistics 

• Listings Reviewed: 21,391
• Notices Sent: 2885
• Violation Notices Received: 409
• Courtesy Notices Sent: 2147
• Phone Calls Received: 460

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.

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 34 specific issues outlined in the RMLS Rules and Regulations, and is responsible for addressing subscriber questions and concerns regarding listing accuracy whether those are submitted via the “Report Issue” button on a listing, through email, or by phone. When there are increases in specific violation types, we often place notifications on RMLSweb in order to alert subscribers so that they can avoid violations.

APRIL HIGHLIGHTS

Let’s talk Coming Soon-No Showing (CSN) basics:

• • The CSN status is for short-term use for no longer than 21 days and must have a valid listing agreement as well as seller approval.
  • CSN allows time for an agent to work with the seller to prepare property.
  • CSN is considered an off-market status as the listing is not actively being marketed and cannot be shown.
  • Affiliate subscribers will not be able to view listings that are in CSN status.
  • CSN listings will be excluded in statistical searches and reports.

Important dates to keep in mind when entering a CSN listing:

Date Published: This is the date you enter and publish your listing into RMLSweb as a CSN listing. This can be done up to 21 days before the listing becomes active.

Date Marketing to Begin: This is the date you use in the listing to note when the listing will change from CSN to Active status. This will happen automatically at 12:01 AM on the date entered in this field. Once the listing becomes active it cannot be changed back to CSN status.

What you can and cannot do with CSN status listing:

• • You can have a sign on the property providing it has a Coming Soon rider.
  • You can also have flyers on the property that also clearly show the property is Coming Soon.
  • You cannot do any marketing on the property.
  • You cannot allow the property to be shown.
  • You cannot list the same property using CSN status for 90 days after it goes off market.

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 did not review any cases in April 2022.

INFORMAL VIOLATIONS & COURTESY NOTICES
In April 2022, the RMLS Data Accuracy staff reviewed 19,643 listings in addition to the 498 notices sent through the “Report Issue” button on RMLSweb. Of the items reviewed, 1,140 violation notices and 1,666 courtesy notices were sent out. In addition, our team handled 505 phone calls.

The following are the courtesy notifications sent to RMLS subscribers in April 2022.

Questions about RMLS Rules and Regulations or the accuracy of specific listings can be directed to the RMLS Data Accuracy department at dataaccuracy@rmls.com or 503.395.1916.