![RMLS™ Rules Roundup for January 2020]()
by Heath Bennett | Feb 7, 2020 | Uncategorized
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 January 2020 our team handled 214 phone calls.
We track 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
A new year brings with it a new sequence for MLS numbers. Listings published in 2020 begin with ’20######’, where listings published in 2019 began with ’19######’. While it is not against the RMLS™ rules to refresh a listing, there are a few points to keep in mind. Refreshing a listing should be done at the request of the seller(s). If the seller(s) elects to refresh their listing in the MLS, the old listing should be changed to canceled (CAN) status not withdrawn (WTH). The Data Accuracy Department has received reports where the original listing was changed to withdrawn (WTH) status instead of canceled, and forgotten until the listing expires at some future date. This causes not only confusion for RMLS™ subscribers, it can be confusing to the property owner who may or may not have been the original seller(s) who receive inquiries on the status of their property.
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 formal violations in January 2020.
INFORMAL VIOLATIONS
In January 2020, RMLS™ Data Accuracy staff reviewed 22,529 listings in addition to the 493 notices sent through “Report Issue” button on RMLSweb. Of the items reviewed, 1,221 violation notices and 1,953 courtesy notices were sent out.
| Category | January |
| Missing Tax ID | 471 |
| Incorrect or Missing Information | 129 |
| Duplicate Listing | 119 |
| Missing Owner Name | 94 |
| Personal Promotion | 85 |
| Missing School | 58 |
| Incorrect Status | 50 |
| Year Built Description | 46 |
| Is Property a Condo | 37 |
| No Showings | 22 |
| Missing or Incorrect 1st Photo | 18 |
| Duplicate Listing in Different Categories | 17 |
| Conditions to Compensation | 15 |
| Duplicate Listing in Different Categories | 13 |
| Incorrect Property Type | 15 |
| Missing Condo Unit Number | 8 |
| Inaccurate Lot Size | 8 |
| Listing Input in Incorrect MLS area | 7 |
| Address Issues | 7 |
| Partial Bathrooms 5+ | 4 |
| HUD | 2 |
| City Unknown | 1 |
| Is Listing a Short Sale | 1 |
Following are the courtesy notifications sent to RMLS™ subscribers in January 2020:
| Category | January |
| Listing is Set to Expire | 1,015 |
| Multiple Owner Names in First Field | 405 |
| Listing Still Pending | 377 |
| New Listing Input Over 24 Hours | 156 |
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 ever 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 January 2020]()
by Heath Bennett | Jan 17, 2020 | Statistics
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 December 2019 our team handled 195 phone calls.
We track 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
As winter moves into spring and the volume of new listings starts to increase remember that personal promotion on video and virtual tours are a violation of the RMLS™ Rules and Regulations. Any video or virtual tour that is linked on your listing must be devoid of any identifying personal and brokerage information. This means that the tour(s) themselves cannot have any identifying personal promotion information. If you have a video or virtual tour that is branded with personal promotion, you can post it on your own personal website.
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 reviewed three formal violations in December for a total of $1,750.00 in fines.
- 5.1.l – Unauthorized use of lockbox system: A buyer’s agent did not follow showing instructions.
- 5.1.l – Unauthorized use of lockbox system: A buyer’s agent gave a lockbox access code to their buyer.
- 5.1.l – Unauthorized use of lockbox system: A buyer’s agent did not follow showing instructions.
INFORMAL VIOLATIONS
In December 2019, RMLS™ Data Accuracy staff reviewed 24,823 listings in addition to the 384 notices sent through “Report Issue” button on RMLSweb. Of the items reviewed, 810 violation notices and 1,459 courtesy notices were sent out.
| Category | December |
| Missing Tax ID | 316 |
| Personal Promotion | 92 |
| Incorrect or Missing Information | 86 |
| Missing Owner Name | 46 |
| Missing School | 43 |
| No Showings | 29 |
| Duplicate Listing | 26 |
| Year Built Description | 25 |
| Conditions to Compensation | 24 |
| Missing or Incorrect 1st Photo | 18 |
| Duplicate Listing in Different Categories | 13 |
| Is Property a Condo | 12 |
| Inaccurate Lot Size | 5 |
| City Unknown | 5 |
| Partial Bathrooms 5+ | 3 |
| Missing Condo Unit Number | 2 |
| Listing Input in Incorrect MLS area | 2 |
Following are the courtesy notifications sent to RMLS™ subscribers in December 2019:
| Category | December |
| Listing is Set to Expire | 695 |
| Listing Still Pending | 410 |
| Multiple Owner Names in First Field | 240 |
| New Listing Input Over 24 Hours | 114 |
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 ever 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 January 2020]()
by Heath Bennett | Dec 19, 2019 | Statistics
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 November 2019 our team handled 205 phone calls.
We track 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
This fall we have heard some concerns regarding buyers agents potentially giving out SentriLock codes when they are unable to be present at a showing. As a reminder this is a violation and it is never okay for a buyers agent to give a lockbox code to anyone for any reason. If you are unable to be present with your buyer please arrange for someone else to show the property or reschedule the 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 review any formal violations in November as they did not meet.
INFORMAL VIOLATIONS
In November 2019, RMLS™ Data Accuracy staff reviewed 27,010 listings in addition to the 405 notices sent through “Report Issue” button on RMLSweb. Of the items reviewed, 1,029 violation notices and 1,774 courtesy notices were sent out.
| Category | November |
| Missing Tax ID | 416 |
| Personal Promotion | 127 |
| Incorrect or Missing Information | 82 |
| Year Built Description | 77 |
| Duplicate Listing | 63 |
| Missing School | 57 |
| Missing Owner Name | 56 |
| No Showings | 35 |
| Missing Condo Unit Number | 26 |
| Is Property a Condo | 19 |
| Missing or Incorrect 1st Photo | 17 |
| Listing Input in Incorrect MLS area | 15 |
| Conditions to Compensation | 12 |
| Duplicate Listing in Different Categories | 9 |
| Inaccurate Lot Size | 7 |
| HUD | 3 |
| City Unknown | 2 |
| Duplicate Listing Different Agent | 1 |
| Is Listing a Short Sale | 1 |
Following are the courtesy notifications sent to RMLS™ subscribers in November 2019:
| Category | November |
| Listing is Set to Expire | 1,066 |
| Listing Still Pending | 336 |
| Multiple Owner Names in First Field | 282 |
| New Listing Input Over 24 Hours | 90 |
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 ever 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 January 2020]()
by Heath Bennett | Nov 7, 2019 | Statistics
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 October 2019 our team handled 205 phone calls.
We track 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
October saw an increase of accidental status changes on listings. In some cases, the Seller’s Agent accidentally changed the status to Bumpable Buyer (BMP) shortly after publishing the listing in RMLSweb. Each status change results in a history record being created, and when a status change occurs accidentally, this can potentially cause confusion for other subscribers. If you navigate to the status change module in Listing Load by accident and do not wish to change the status of your listing, simply press the “Cancel” button.
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 formal violations in October as they did not meet.
INFORMAL VIOLATIONS
In October 2019, RMLS™ Data Accuracy staff reviewed 17,579 listings in addition to the 406 notices sent through “Report Issue” button on RMLSweb. Of the items reviewed, 1,098 violation notices and 1,282 courtesy notices were sent out.
| Category | October |
| Missing Tax ID | 405 |
| Personal Promotion | 106 |
| Incorrect or Missing Information | 105 |
| Missing Owner Name | 86 |
| Missing Condo Unit Number | 84 |
| Missing School | 74 |
| Year Built Description | 65 |
| No Showings | 38 |
| Missing or Incorrect 1st Photo | 37 |
| Listing Input in Incorrect MLS area | 29 |
| Duplicate Listing | 19 |
| Conditions to Compensation | 18 |
| Is Property a Condo | 15 |
| Inaccurate Lot Size | 6 |
| Duplicate Listing in Different Categories | 6 |
| City Unknown | 3 |
| HUD | 2 |
Following are the courtesy notifications sent to RMLS™ subscribers in October 2019:
| Category | October |
| Listing is Set to Expire | 457 |
| Multiple Owner Names in First Field | 365 |
| Listing Still Pending | 353 |
| New Listing Input Over 24 Hours | 107 |
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 ever 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 January 2020]()
by Heath Bennett | Oct 10, 2019 | Statistics
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 September 2019 our team handled 232 phone calls.
We track 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
Did you know our system sends out courtesy notices? The two main courtesy notices are sent to help remind sellers’ agents about their listings that are set to expire within ten days or their listings that have remained in pending (PEN) status for over 90 days. If you receive a courtesy notice about one of your listings, take a look and see if that listing needs to be updated in RMLSweb. If the information provided is correct, then no action is needed. If you have any questions regarding a courtesy notice simply reply to the email and Data Accuracy will be happy to help answer your questions.
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 reviewed two formal violations at the September meeting. The violations were both for misuse of a lockbox and a total of $1,600.00 in fines were levied.
- 5.1L Unauthorized Use of a Lockbox: An agent entered a listing that was in PEN status.
- 5.1L Unauthorized Use of a Lockbox: Buyer’s agent provided a lockbox code to their buyer.
INFORMAL VIOLATIONS
In September 2019, RMLS™ Data Accuracy staff reviewed 21,445 listings in addition to the 469 notices sent through “Report Issue” button on RMLSweb. Of the items reviewed, 1,336 violation notices and 2,433 courtesy notices were sent out.
| Category | September |
| Missing Tax ID | 464 |
| Personal Promotion | 129 |
| Missing School | 93 |
| Incorrect or Missing Information | 82 |
| Year Built | 80 |
| Duplicate Listing | 51 |
| Missing Owner Name | 28 |
| No Showings | 25 |
| Listing Input in Incorrect MLS Area | 19 |
| Missing or Incorrect 1st Photo | 18 |
| Is Property a Condo | 12 |
| Conditions to Compensation | 11 |
| Missing Condo Unit Number | 11 |
| Inaccurate Lot Size | 8 |
| Duplicate Listing in Different Categories | 8 |
| Partial Bathrooms Greater than Five | 6 |
| City Unknown | 5 |
| Duplicate Listing Different Listing Agent | 1 |
| Is Listing a Short Sale? | 1 |
Following are the courtesy notifications sent to RMLS™ subscribers in September 2019:
| Category | September |
| Listing Still Pending | 401 |
| Multiple Owner Names in First Field | 359 |
| Listing is Set to Expire | 272 |
| New Listing Input Over 24 Hours | 80 |
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 ever 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.
