RMLS™ Rules Roundup for August 2020

Gavel

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.

We tracked 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 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

Property Condition (previously known as Year Built Description) saw a spike in violations last month. As a reminder, the Property Condition needs to be changed to “New” on a new construction property before it is updated to sold (SLD) status. Making sure that the Property Condition is up to date throughout the construction and selling process will help to ensure that the listing data is accurate. Further, it will make the post close process as smooth as it can be.

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 meet in August 2020 as there were no cases to review.

INFORMAL VIOLATIONS

In August 2020, RMLS™ Data Accuracy staff reviewed 31,594 listings in addition to the 476 notices sent through “Report Issue” button on RMLSweb. Of the items reviewed, 1,241 violation notices and 2,196 courtesy notices were sent out. In addition our team handled 419 phone calls.

Category August
Missing Tax ID 390
Incorrect or Missing Information 159
Personal Promotion 131
Missing School 77
Missing Owner Name 71
No Showings 70
Property Condition 66
Duplicate Listing 44
Incorrect Status 44
Incorrect First Photo 44
Conditions to Compensation 26
Is Property a Condo 26
Incorrect Property Type 24
Listing Input in Incorrect MLS area 15
Duplicate Listing in Different Categories 14
Inaccurate Lot Size 12
Partial Bathrooms 5+ 9
Address Issues 6
City Unknown 5
Missing Condo Unit Number 3
HUD 3
Remarks Incorrectly Indicate Short Sale 1
Missing SQFT by Level 1

The following are the courtesy notifications sent to RMLS™ subscribers in August 2020:

Category August
Listing is Set to Expire 983
Multiple Owner Names in First Field 585
Listing Still Pending 496
New Listing Input Over 24 Hours 127
Listing Status Change over 24 Hours 5

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 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.




RMLS™ Rules Roundup for July 2020

Gavel

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.

We tracked 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 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

We have been looking at ways to help improve the database of listings and one thing that we noticed is that there are quite a few listings that were not updated from pending (PEN) status to sold (SLD) status within the required time frame. As a reminder, all status changes must be made within 24 hours, excepting weekends and postal holidays, of the actual change in status. We are working on a mechanism to send out courtesy reminders to people who have gone beyond this time frame.

This month we want to continue to remind everyone that 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 meet in July 2020 as there were no cases to review.

INFORMAL VIOLATIONS

In July 2020, RMLS™ Data Accuracy staff reviewed 34,253 listings in addition to the 493 notices sent through “Report Issue” button on RMLSweb. Of the items reviewed, 1,375 violation notices and 1,940 courtesy notices were sent out. In addition our team handled 457 phone calls.

Category July
Missing Tax ID 474
Incorrect or Missing Information 157
Personal Promotion 116
Missing School 100
Missing Owner Name 82
Duplicate Listing 67
No Showings 60
Incorrect First Photo 50
Incorrect Status 44
Conditions to Compensation 41
Is Property a Condo 39
Incorrect Property Type 28
Missing Condo Unit Number 24
Listing Input in Incorrect MLS area 20
Inaccurate Lot Size 18
Partial Bathrooms 5+ 15
Address Issues 14
Duplicate Listing in Different Categories 11
Property Condition 9
City Unknown 4
HUD 2

The following are the courtesy notifications sent to RMLS™ subscribers in July 2020:

Category July
Listing is Set to Expire 795
Multiple Owner Names in First Field 677
Listing Still Pending 286
New Listing Input Over 24 Hours 129
Listing Status Change over 24 Hours 17

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 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.




RMLS™ Rules Roundup for June 2020

Gavel

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 June 2020, our team handled 498 phone calls.

We tracked 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 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

Photographs are an important aspect of listing content in the MLS. All listings submitted to RMLS™ are required to have one photograph of the exterior building view, or land if a bare land listing. If multiple photos are submitted the first one must always be an exterior building view. In the case of new construction a floor plan or exterior elevation may be submitted until the building is completed at which point a photo of the exterior building view should be submitted.

The one exception is when your seller(s) have requested that no photos be published with their listing. In this case a signed Photograph Omission Form or equivalent document must be submitted to RMLSweb (Back Office -> Submit Excluded Listing -> Select Category=Photo Omission) within 24 hours of publishing the listing.

Photographs may not contain any added text or graphics, or any alterations that misrepresent the property. Any photograph that contains virtual staging must be disclosed using the “Virtually Staged” watermark. Residential new construction listings that use a photograph of a similar home must disclose it on the photograph with the “Sample Image” watermark.

This month we want to continue to remind everyone that 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 meet in June 2020 as there were no cases to review.

INFORMAL VIOLATIONS

In June 2020, RMLS™ Data Accuracy staff reviewed 34,077 listings in addition to the 540 notices sent through “Report Issue” button on RMLSweb. Of the items reviewed, 1,367 violation notices and 1,580 courtesy notices were sent out.

Category June
Missing Tax ID 499
Personal Promotion 225
Incorrect or Missing Information 15
Missing Owner Name 81
Missing School 79
Duplicate Listing 62
Incorrect Status 48
No Showings 43
Incorrect First Photo 41
Is Property a Condo 29
Incorrect Property Type 20
Inaccurate Lot Size 16
Partial Bathrooms 5+ 14
Listing Input in Incorrect MLS area 12
Conditions to Compensation 11
Address Issues 9
Duplicate Listing in Different Categories 6
HUD 4
Missing Condo Unit Number 4
City Unknown 3
Property Condition 2

The following are the courtesy notifications sent to RMLS™ subscribers in June 2020:

Category June
Multiple Owner Names in First Field 633
Listing is Set to Expire 520
Listing Still Pending 303
New Listing Input Over 24 Hours 115
Listing Status Change over 24 Hours 9

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 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.




RMLS™ Rules Roundup for May 2020

Gavel

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 May 2020, our team handled 546 phone calls.

We tracked 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 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

At the beginning of May, a new rule called Clear Cooperation 8.0 was introduced. This rule simply means that if a listing is to be marketed in any way to the public, it must be input into the MLS within 24 hours, excluding weekends and postal holidays. If your client wishes to hold their listing out of the MLS, then the property is only able to be marketed to your firm.

As a reminder, public marketing includes, but is not limited to, flyers displayed in windows, yard signs, digital marketing on public facing websites, brokerage website displays (including IDX and VOW), digital communications marketing (email blasts), multi-brokerage listing sharing networks, and applications available to the general public.

This month, we also want to continue reminding everyone to please also check the listing for special accommodation requests or notes from the home seller or seller’s agent prior to scheduling a showing.

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 meet in May 2020 as there were no cases to review.

INFORMAL VIOLATIONS

In May 2020, RMLS™ Data Accuracy staff reviewed 30,954 listings in addition to the 475 notices sent through “Report Issue” button on RMLSweb. Of the items reviewed, 1,290 violation notices and 1,900 courtesy notices were sent out.

Category May
Missing Tax ID 476
Personal Promotion 223
Incorrect or Missing Information 130
Missing Owner Name 87
Missing School 72
HUD 49
Duplicate Listing 46
Incorrect Status 32
Conditions to Compensation 24
No Showings 24
Is Property a Condo 21
Incorrect Property Type 21
Listing Input in Incorrect MLS area 13
Partial Bathrooms 5+ 9
Inaccurate Lot Size 8
Duplicate Listing in Different Categories 8
Property Condition 7
City Unknown 5
Missing Condo Unit Number 5
Address Issues 3
Missing SQFT by Level 1
Fannie Mae/Homepath 1

The following are the courtesy notifications sent to RMLS™ subscribers in May 2020:

Category May
Listing is Set to Expire 915
Multiple Owner Names in First Field 491
Listing Still Pending 423
New Listing Input Over 24 Hours 63
Listing Status Change over 24 Hours 8

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 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.




RMLS™ Rules Roundup for April 2020

Gavel

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 April 2020, our team handled 450 phone calls.

We tracked 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

Please remember to check state and local policies regarding showings, since several new policies, rules and regulations, and business best practices have been rolled out in recent weeks.

Please also check the listing for special accommodation requests or notes from the home seller or seller’s agent prior to scheduling a showing.

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 meet in April 2020 as there were no cases to review.

INFORMAL VIOLATIONS

In April 2020, RMLS™ Data Accuracy staff reviewed 26,993 listings in addition to the 347 notices sent through “Report Issue” button on RMLSweb. Of the items reviewed, 1,337 violation notices and 1,875 courtesy notices were sent out.

Category April
Missing Tax ID 407
Personal Promotion 337
Property Condition 177
Incorrect or Missing Information 102
Missing School 57
Duplicate Listing 50
Incorrect Property Type 37
No Showings 21
Missing or Incorrect 1st Photo 21
Is Property a Condo 14
Address Issues 13
Incorrect Status 9
Partial Bathrooms 5+ 8
Conditions to Compensation 7
Listing Input in Incorrect MLS area 5
Inaccurate Lot Size 5
Duplicate Listing in Different Categories 4
City Unknown 4
HUD 3
Missing Condo Unit Number 1

The following are the courtesy notifications sent to RMLS™ subscribers in April 2020:

Category April
Listing is Set to Expire 943
Multiple Owner Names in First Field 469
Listing Still Pending 377
New Listing Input Over 24 Hours 84
Listing Status Change over 24 Hours 2

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 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.