MLS® Policies – MISCELLANEOUS
- No personal contact information relating to the REALTOR® may appear in the REALTOR® remarks section of a listing. If the REALTORS® personal contact information is included, MLS® staff is to remove it and a $50 fine levied to the Member.
Where the seller directs the listing REALTOR® in writing to do so, the seller’s contact information may appear in the REALTOR® only remarks (non-public) section of the listing on the Association’s MLS® system.
- No personal contact information relating to the REALTOR® with the exception of a direction to visit the REALTOR®’s website to obtain more information may appear in the internet ad copy/public remarks. If the REALTOR’S® personal contact information or specific website address, with the exception of a direction to the REALTOR’S® website, is included, MLS® staff will remove it and a $50 fine be levied to the Member.
What is the “personal contact information” referred to in the policies? See the list below:
- Member’s first name, last name or both; team name
- Member’s office name
- Member’s phone number (cell phone, direct line, etc) or fax number
- Member’s office phone number or fax number
- Any toll-free number or direct appointments phone number
- Any email addresses or website links
- Note: Multi-media links (virtual tour, brochure, additional images) must appear in their respective fields and not in the remarks
If any of the above items are found in either REALTOR® or public remarks, they will be removed and the member will be fined, as per the policies. Questions regarding the policies should be directed to the MLS® Dept at 905.667.4650.
It is my opinion that the policy regarding not allowing listing agent contact info on listings comments is a bad policy and actually hurts my clients – at present search engines are taking my Mls data and effectively stealing them by having other agents web sites getting priority -eg- put a listing address into Google and you may be surprised how many other agents names show up prior to the actual listing agent. I believe a consumer specifically interested in that property ends up contacting the non listing agent under the false belief that he is contacting the real listing agent and in many cases thisat end up with a delay or even incorrect listing info being relayed to the prospective buyer.
Every listing on the Mls should allow listing sales agents ensure their contact info is on a listing when other agents are uploading other agents listings to boost their own website!
Failing that any salesrepresentative agent who shows other salesrepresentative agent listings in their website should have a clear and conspicuous acknowledgement that they are not the listing agent sales representative for the property.
Thanks for your comments, Don – they will be passed on to the MLS Committee.
Information from the MLS Department:
The policy regarding personal contact information is in relation to the REALTOR® and public remarks section only. All listings whether they are viewed in Fusion or on REALTOR.ca display the listing salesperson’s brokerage contact information. To not display this information is against RECO’s advertising rules.
Unfortunately RAHB cannot be responsible for other websites that scrape MLS® data to display on their own websites. However these websites must be in compliance with RECO’s advertising rules as well which means they must display the name of the listing brokerage who has the contract with the seller.