RMLS™ Rules Roundup for October 2020
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 an 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 an RMLS™ subscriber contacts us — whether that is via the “Report Issue” button on a listing, by email, or contacting us directly by phone.
We track 34 specific issues in Listing Data Checker (LDC), the software that helps us spot and correct issues proactively. Eight of these are courtesy notifications, but the other 26 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
The Data Accuracy Department receives many calls every day from our subscribers asking for rules clarifications. This is great — we enjoy hearing from you and answering your questions. Lately we have been hearing that the information is being gathered so that it can be disseminated to other people in their office. This is perfectly fine but, as an alternative, we do offer training that can come to you, virtually. Our training department can arrange for a group training through a virtual class on a topic that your office might need more in depth instruction on, including RMLS™ Rules and Regulations. This approach can help standardize information and solutions across your organization.
TIP: Prior to scheduling a showing, it’s important to double check the listing for any special showing accommodation requests or notes from the seller(s) and/or Seller’s Agent. Be safe out there!
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 October 2020.
INFORMAL VIOLATIONS
In October 2020, the RMLS™ Data Accuracy staff reviewed 30,144 listings in addition to the 446 notices sent through the “Report Issue” button on RMLSweb. Of the items reviewed, 1,282 violation notices and 2,194 courtesy notices were sent out. In addition our team handled 493 phone calls.
| Category | October |
| Missing Tax ID | 278 |
| Incorrect or Missing Information | 129 |
| Personal Promotion | 95 |
| Missing School | 80 |
| Property Condition | 56 |
| Missing Owner Name | 47 |
| Incorrect Status | 47 |
| No Showings | 43 |
| Duplicate Listing | 36 |
| Incorrect Property Type | 34 |
| Incorrect First Photo | 31 |
| Is Property a Condo | 29 |
| Conditions to Compensation | 15 |
| Duplicate Listing in Different Categories | 13 |
| Address Issues | 11 |
| Partial Bathrooms 5+ | 10 |
| Listing Input in Incorrect MLS area | 8 |
| Inaccurate Lot Size | 6 |
| HUD | 6 |
| City Unknown | 4 |
| Missing Condo Unit Number | 1 |
| Remarks indicate Short Sale not marked | 1 |
The following are the courtesy notifications sent to RMLS™ subscribers in October 2020:
| Category | September |
| Listing is Set to Expire | 875 |
| Listing Still Pending | 652 |
| Listing Status Changed from PEN to SLD > 24 hours | 271 |
| Multiple Owner Names in First Field | 248 |
| New Listing Input Over 24 Hours | 117 |
| Listing Still in On Market Status, Public Records Show Sold | 31 |
When we notice an uptick in a specific type of violation (perhaps a rule recently changed or market conditions leading 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 have questions about RMLS™ Rules and Regulations or the data accuracy of specific listings, or simply want to chat with us more about the above information.