RMLS Rules Roundup for January 2021
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
Accurate data is very important to us at RMLS – ensuring accuracy is one of our core values. To that end, we use multiple checks and measures to ensure that accuracy. One such tool is the Report Issue button that can be found on every agent report listing in RMLSweb. The Report button enables you to alert our Data Accuracy department if you come across any listing data that may be inaccurate.
Why do we need your help with this? Given such a high volume of listings, It would be impossible for our staff to personally visit every property and verify each piece of data, so we are reliant on you, the RMLS community who are the experts in our local real estate markets, to alert us if you detect an issue. Those notifications allow us to follow up with the Seller’s Agent to get the data verified and corrected if need be.
The process is anonymous, meaning that we will never share the identity of anyone that alerts us to any issue. The verification and correction process can take some time to correct as we require permission from the Seller’s Agent before we can make any changes to a listing, so your patience is appreciated.
Accurate data is a benefit to all of us so please stay vigilant and let us know if you find any potential inaccuracies. If you have a question about your own listing or need us to help with any corrections, please contact our Help Desk.
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 January 2021.
INFORMAL VIOLATIONS
In January 2021, the RMLS Data Accuracy staff reviewed 24,663 listings in addition to the 478 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 303 phone calls.
| Category | January |
| Missing Tax ID | 434 |
| Incorrect or Missing Information | 128 |
| Personal Promotion | 106 |
| Missing Owner Name | 74 |
| Property Condition | 60 |
| No Showings | 52 |
| Missing School | 48 |
| Incorrect Status | 46 |
| Incorrect First Photo | 41 |
| Duplicate Listing | 38 |
| Is Property a Condo | 31 |
| Incorrect Property Type | 27 |
| Address Issues | 27 |
| Inaccurate Lot Size | 13 |
| Conditions to Compensation | 10 |
| Duplicate Listing in Different Categories | 8 |
| Listing Input in Incorrect MLS area | 8 |
| City Unknown | 8 |
| Partial Bathrooms 5+ | 6 |
| Missing Condo Unit Number | 3 |
| Missing SQFT by Level | 2 |
| Fannie Mae/Homepath | 1 |
The following are the courtesy notifications sent to RMLS subscribers in January 2021:
| Category | January |
| Listing is Set to Expire | 747 |
| Listing Still Pending | 545 |
| Multiple Owner Names in First Field | 200 |
| New Listing Input Over 24 Hours | 45 |
| Listing Status Changed from PEN to SLD > 24 hours | 12 |
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.