In Part 1 of this series, we covered how to report issues and inaccuracies to our Data Accuracy department. In Part 2, we discussed how issues are reviewed and processed. In this edition, we’ll cover how issues are resolved and how to check on the status of a specific matter.
Step 3: Status & Resolution
Our subscribers are able to check the progress of the issue at any time through the RMLSweb dashboard.
Under ‘Back Office,’ look at the options below ‘Listing Issue.’ ‘Reported by Me’ provides status information on listings you reported, the current status of the report, and any available notes.
‘My Violations’ displays resolved violations for your listings, while ‘My Open Violations’ displays violations with your listings that are currently open. Both screens list the violation notes that have been reported. Principal Brokers can view this information for their agents as well.
The ‘My Notifications’ section tracks notices about your listing violations. You can see when the notifications were sent and to whom they were sent. If you click the link under ‘Sent Date’ you can read the notice that was sent.
Any issues that were discovered by our data checking software or staff will also appear in ‘My Notifications.’ The data is available for 18 months from the date the issue was closed. This does not mean that you cannot report an issue on a listing older than 18 months.
One factor that could affect whether an issue can be reported is if the Seller’s Agent or firm are no longer RMLS subscribers. In that event you would receive an error and to report the issue you would need to use one of the previously mentioned alternative methods.
Should you ever have a question about an issue that you submit or about a notice that you received on one of your own listings please reach out to us and we will be happy to answer any questions.
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.
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.
In Part 1 of this series, we covered how to report issues and inaccuracies to our Data Accuracy department. In Part 2, we discussed how issues are reviewed and processed. In this edition, we’ll cover how issues are resolved and how to check on the status of a specific matter.
Step 3: Status & Resolution
Our subscribers are able to check the progress of the issue at any time through the RMLSweb dashboard.
Under ‘Back Office,’ look at the options below ‘Listing Issue.’ ‘Reported by Me’ provides status information on listings you reported, the current status of the report, and any available notes.
‘My Violations’ displays resolved violations for your listings, while ‘My Open Violations’ displays violations with your listings that are currently open. Both screens list the violation notes that have been reported. Principal Brokers can view this information for their agents as well.
The ‘My Notifications’ section tracks notices about your listing violations. You can see when the notifications were sent and to whom they were sent. If you click the link under ‘Sent Date’ you can read the notice that was sent.
Any issues that were discovered by our data checking software or staff will also appear in ‘My Notifications.’ The data is available for 18 months from the date the issue was closed. This does not mean that you cannot report an issue on a listing older than 18 months.
One factor that could affect whether an issue can be reported is if the Seller’s Agent or firm are no longer RMLS subscribers. In that event you would receive an error and to report the issue you would need to use one of the previously mentioned alternative methods.
Should you ever have a question about an issue that you submit or about a notice that you received on one of your own listings please reach out to us and we will be happy to answer any questions.
The Rules Roundup provides a monthly accounting of RMLS rules violations and courtesy notifications. Our Data Accuracy team manages all reports of property listing errors, tracking 34 specific issues outlined in the RMLS Rules and Regulations, and is responsible for addressing subscriber questions and concerns regarding listing accuracy whether those are submitted via the “Report Issue” button on a listing, through email, or by phone. When there are increases in specific violation types, we often place notifications on RMLSweb in order to alert subscribers so that they can avoid violations.
MAY HIGHLIGHTS
We have seen a rise in the number of listings not being made available for showing. As a reminder, rule 3.27 of the RMLS Rules and Regulations states:
Availability for Showing. With the exception of Commercial Lease, Auction, and Coming Soon-No Showing listings, all active listings shall be available for showing immediately upon entry into the RMLS system, excluding listings which require all offers to be made contingent on interior inspection. Listings cannot restrict showing until a future date.
There are reasons your client may wish to restrict showings. Maybe there is a renter, or the house is unsafe. In cases like this you should add a statement to the remarks that explains that all offers are contingent upon an interior inspection. It may also be helpful to provide a brief explanation as to why showings are unavailable. If a home is simply not ready to be shown but you want to let people know it will available soon then publishing as CSN would be appropriate. This allows other RMLS subscribers the chance to know about your listing so that they can share it with their clients while still affording your client up to 21 days to finish getting their home ready for showings.
The committee did not review any cases in May 2021.
INFORMAL VIOLATIONS & COURTESY NOTICES
In May 2021, the RMLS Data Accuracy staff reviewed 32,556 listings in addition to the 539 notices sent through the “Report Issue” button on RMLSweb. Of the items reviewed, 1,397 violation notices and 1,458 courtesy notices were sent out. In addition, our team handled 401 phone calls.
Category
May
Missing Tax ID
436
Missing School
168
Incorrect or Missing Information
141
Personal Promotion
135
No Showings
92
Duplicate Listing
75
Missing Owner Name
57
Property Condition
46
Incorrect Status
43
Listing Input in Incorrect MLS area
39
Is Property a Condo
32
Incorrect First Photo
28
Incorrect Property Type
21
Inaccurate Lot Size
19
Missing Condo Unit Number
14
Address Issues
14
Conditions to Compensation
13
Partial Bathrooms 5+
9
City Unknown
5
HUD
5
Missing SQFT by Level
4
Duplicate Listing in Different Categories
1
The following are the courtesy notifications sent to RMLS subscribers in May 2021:
Category
May
Listing Still Pending
622
Listing is Set to Expire
434
Multiple Owner Names in First Field
314
New Listing Input Over 24 Hours
62
Listing Still in OMS, Public Records Indicate SLD
25
Listing Status Changed from PEN to SLD > 24 hours
1
Questions about RMLS Rules and Regulations or the accuracy of specific listings can be directed to the RMLS Data Accuracy department at dataaccuracy@rmls.com or 503.395.1916.
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
Recently we’ve received quite a few notifications regarding incorrect or missing schools. You may have noticed that some of the school names you are used to seeing are now missing from RMLSweb. Recently several school districts have gone through a renaming process, with some schools changing names multiple times.
If you don’t see a school that you think should be on the list and want to know whether the school is missing or has a new name, here’s what to do: First, double check the area for your listing. It can be easy to be looking in the wrong area if the listing is near a county line or area boundary.
Next, check the local school district’s website for updated information. If you’re still not sure, you can always contact our Data Accuracy department at 503.395.1916 and we will help you determine what the new name of the school is.
The committee did not review any cases in April 2021.
INFORMAL VIOLATIONS
In April 2021, the RMLS Data Accuracy staff reviewed 31,851 listings in addition to the 574 notices sent through the “Report Issue” button on RMLSweb. Of the items reviewed, 1,327 violation notices and 1,564 courtesy notices were sent out. In addition our team handled 378 phone calls.
Category
April
Missing Tax ID
423
Missing School
157
Incorrect or Missing Information
127
No Showings
94
Duplicate Listing
92
Personal Promotion
86
Missing Owner Name
55
Property Condition
50
Incorrect Status
41
Is Property a Condo
38
Incorrect First Photo
36
Incorrect Property Type
33
Inaccurate Lot Size
23
Conditions to Compensation
13
Listing Input in Incorrect MLS area
12
Missing Condo Unit Number
12
Partial Bathrooms 5+
11
City Unknown
7
HUD
5
Missing SQFT by Level
4
Address Issues
4
Duplicate Listing in Different Categories
3
Is Listing a Short Sale
1
The following are the courtesy notifications sent to RMLS subscribers in April 2021:
Category
April
Listing Still Pending
632
Listing is Set to Expire
447
Multiple Owner Names in First Field
272
Listing Status Changed from PEN to SLD > 24 hours
104
New Listing Input Over 24 Hours
81
Listing Still in OMS, Public Records Indicate SLD
28
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.