RMLS Rules Roundup for December 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, through email, or 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
A new year has begun and this means new listing numbers and often the ‘refreshing’ of listings in order to get a new listing number. If you represent sellers, please let them know that if they ‘refresh,’ they could receive solicitation phone calls from other REALTORSⓇ aiming to represent their property. Conversely, if you are planning to solicit business from sellers who have had a listing cancel or expire, please double-check that the property has not been relisted before contacting them. Solicitation of a listing that is under contract (i.e., Active (ACT), Bumpable Buyer (BMP), Short Sale Pending (SSP), Pending (PEN), Pending Lease Option (POP), Withdrawn (WTH), or Coming Soon-No Showing (CSN) statuses) can result in a fine of up to $2,500.00.
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 December 2020.
INFORMAL VIOLATIONS
In December 2020, the RMLS Data Accuracy staff reviewed 20,117 listings in addition to the 415 notices sent through the “Report Issue” button on RMLSweb. Of the items reviewed, 896 violation notices and 2,341 courtesy notices were sent out. In addition our team handled 282 phone calls.
| Category | December |
| Missing Tax ID | 295 |
| Personal Promotion | 126 |
| Incorrect or Missing Information | 99 |
| Property Condition | 66 |
| Missing School | 57 |
| Incorrect Status | 46 |
| No Showings | 41 |
| Incorrect First Photo | 33 |
| Missing Owner Name | 27 |
| Duplicate Listing | 16 |
| Incorrect Property Type | 15 |
| Duplicate Listing in Different Categories | 12 |
| Is Property a Condo | 11 |
| Conditions to Compensation | 8 |
| Missing Condo Unit Number | 7 |
| Listing Input in Incorrect MLS area | 6 |
| Inaccurate Lot Size | 4 |
| Partial Bathrooms 5+ | 4 |
| City Unknown | 4 |
| Address Issues | 2 |
| HUD | 2 |
| No Photograph Omit Form | 1 |
The following are the courtesy notifications sent to RMLS subscribers in December 2020:
| Category | December |
| Listing is Set to Expire | 1624 |
| Listing Still Pending | 561 |
| Multiple Owner Names in First Field | 109 |
| New Listing Input Over 24 Hours | 32 |
| Listing Status Changed from PEN to SLD > 24 hours | 11 |
| Listing Status Change > 24 hours | 3 |
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.