The Lifecycle of a Reported Issue (Part 2)

In Part 1 of this series, we covered how to report issues and inaccuracies to our Data Accuracy department. In this edition, we’ll cover how matters are reviewed and processed.

Step 2: Review

Our Data Accuracy team will begin processing these submissions in the order they are received. Sometimes we receive several notifications about the same issue at different points in the resolution cycle – these are grouped together and handled collectively.  

After reviewing the particular issue, we reach out to the Seller’s Agent and sometimes their Principal Broker to determine if the listing data is accurate. For example, a listing that says ‘waterfront’ may in fact only be ‘water view.’ If the data needs to be changed, we request that the Seller’s Agent either make the change or give us permission to make the change for them. Once the change has been made, we mark the reported issue as corrected in our tracking system.

Issues in the system will show as Active (review ongoing), Corrected (information adjusted), Reviewed and Already Corrected (report sent after information already corrected), Not a Violation (no adjustment required), Duplicate (this issue is already in the process of being reviewed), or Agent Asked (agent-submitted question instead of reporting an issue).   

In Part 3 of this series, we’ll cover how issues are resolved and how to check on the status of a specific matter.




The Lifecycle of a Reported Issue (Part 1)

Without accurate data it would be very difficult to perform real estate transactions with any confidence. RMLS has a number of tools to identify inaccuracies in the data but our subscribers are the most important by far. Subscribers are experts in their fields and in their neighborhoods and communities. RMLS relies on them to spot data issues that a machine would surely miss.

Here’s how the process of reporting an issue with listing data works.

Step 1: Reporting

It all begins with alerting RMLS to the issue. There are a few ways to report an issue, including emailing dataaccuracy@rmls.com or calling us at 503.395.1916, but the easiest is the ‘Report Issue’ button that is on the bottom right of each listing in RMLSweb, or by going to RMLSweb and choosing ‘Help’ from the navigation menu. Under the ‘Help’ sub-section, choose ‘Questions/Comments/Feedback’ and select ‘Data Accuracy/Rules and Regulations’ for the message subject.

When you find an issue in a listing the first step is to press the ‘Report Issue’ button. A new screen will open. On this screen you can enter a detailed account of the issue in the ‘Note Text’ section – please be as descriptive as possible.

Once finished, press the ‘Submit’ button and the issue will be routed to our Data Accuracy team for review and resolution. You will receive a popup notification confirming the submission.

In Part 2 of this series, we’ll discuss how issues are reviewed and processed.