RMLS™ Rules Roundup for July 2019

by RMLS Communication Department | Aug 22, 2019

The RMLS™ Rules and Regulations Committee has requested that periodic reports are given to subscribers about the number and types of formal rules violations, along with information about informal violations and courtesy notifications by type. Read “If a RMLS™ Rule is Broken, What Happens?” for a deeper explanation.

Have you ever spotted something wrong in a property listing on RMLSweb? The Data Accuracy team is responsible for sorting things out whenever a RMLS™ subscriber contacts us—whether that is via the “Report Issue” button on a listing, by email, or contacting us directly by phone. In July 2019 our team handled 276 phone calls.

We track 32 specific issues in Listing Data Checker (LDC), the software that helps us spot and correct issues proactively. Six of these are courtesy notifications, but the other 24 are informal violations of the RMLS™ Rules and Regulations. In addition to our focus on education we also process formal violations throughout the year.

HOT TOPICS

Ever wonder what is included in the “Incorrect or Missing Information” category? The types of issues that are reported to us are broad and varied and often change from month to month. Some examples of things that we see are inquiries about agents that were involved in a sale, what type of frontage does the property have, is the neighborhood correct, and price inquiries. We also get a general questions that don’t result in a violation and these are not tracked as such.

We encourage everyone to use the “Report Issue” button that can be found at the bottom of listings in RMLSweb to let us know if you think there is an issue with the listing you are viewing.

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 receive any formal violations to review for the July or August meetings.

INFORMAL VIOLATIONS

In July 2019, RMLS™ Data Accuracy staff reviewed 22,466 listings in addition to the 462 notices sent through “Report Issue” button on RMLSweb. Of the items reviewed, 1,315 violation notices and 1,813 courtesy notices were sent out.

Following are the courtesy notifications sent to RMLS™ subscribers in July 2019:

When we notice an uptick in a specific type of violation (perhaps a rule recently changed or market conditions lead to an increase in a certain type of issue) we may also put a notification up on RMLSweb, educating subscribers before one of their listings gets flagged and we need to contact them.

RMLS™ Data Accuracy can be reached via email or by phone at (503) 236-7657 if you ever have questions about the RMLS™ Rules and Regulations, if you wonder whether a specific listing has inaccurate data, or if you want to chat with us more about the above information.