We get it! Big changes = big questions. Below are answers to some burning questions you may have about the new MLS Rules and Regulations, and what it means when we say we're championing a new compliance culture for our marketplace.
We understand that a “shift in compliance” can feel like an overwhelming ask and task, but ABoR staff is here to help you! We ask for some simple principles to ensure you’re staying in compliance:
Always take an extra minute to review your listings BEFORE submitting to Active (A) status.
If you have the time, save the listing as Incomplete and you can even ask staff to take a look at any of the most important fields we look for—if we catch something ahead of time, that means no violation and cleaner data from the start!
When a mistake IS made…don’t panic!
Our goal is always to reach out, educate, and try to correct the data in a timely manner.
So our ask here is to always prioritize our notices that come to your inbox from listingdatachecker@corelogic.com and support@abor.com—we’re reaching out to ask for a correction to be made within one business day, and if you have questions we’re here to educate you on why the update needs to be made.
Learn from your previous violations.
Within a majority of violations, escalation only occurs when the same rule is broken multiple times (or requests to make fixes are ignored). If we flagged one listing for a rule violation, we hope you’ll keep that in mind for your next listing.
Nope! Through our new categories and escalation path within each one, you’ll see that we only focus on fines and more severe penalties when the same rules are broken again and again within a short time frame. If you promptly respond to staff and make an effort to correct the incorrect data, there will be no escalation to further monetary penalties. To avoid any fines, we ask that you are mindful of previous violations and remember to double-check that data point on your next listing.
Most violations of the MLS rules will be sent via email from listingdatachecker@corelogic.com. Some may also be sent from support@abor.com. You’ll also see a number show up on your Listing Data Checker widget on your Matrix homepage, which is also the tool that will track your past violations.
While no one ever wants to be the bad guy, it’s important to remember that the MLS is a self-policing organization. If our members do not flag errors, they may go uncorrected and threaten the integrity of the data. If you come across a violation in the MLS, there are three main ways in which we recommend reporting an MLS violation.
We strongly encourage peer accountability, especially if it’s a minor error. We recommend reaching out to the agent to notify them of the error and kindly asking them to correct it. Look for ABoR resources to give some tips on how to approach those conversations.
Another option is to email support@abor.com to manually report possible data violations.
Your identity will not be shared with anyone
. Sending an email to compliance staff will be most useful for reporting issues that need immediate attention, require documentation specific to the violation, or if you discover a violation that's not in the MLS system (such as Clear Cooperation Policy violations).
The last option is to click on the “ReportIt” button (the bright yellow triangle) in the upper right corner of the Listing Detail screen in Unlock MLS.
Violations stay on your record for the calendar year. All violation totals will reset on January 1 of each year. Escalations within a category pertain to violations that occur within the same calendar year.
Unlock MLS applies the same ruleset to all Participants and Subscribers and has expanded the compliance staff to more proactively monitor violations and track repeat rule-breakers in our marketplace.
Be a partner with us and help us establish this new compliance culture. That means talking to your office and peers about why the rules matter and holding your team and your peers accountable. Be willing to ask a question about data directly to a listing agent, or let Unlock MLS staff know if we should take a look. We all have an important role to play in making this shift happen
The Clear Cooperation Policy is now its own category within the rules: Category 2. When staff confirms that a required listing has been publicly marketed without being submitted to the MLS within one business day, staff will send a courtesy notice to the listing brokerage. This notice will require a submission of the Seller’s Authorization to Exclude form (or a similar form) to Unlock MLS. Once the form is submitted, the listing agent will be fined $100. If the form is not submitted or if the request is ignored, the penalties will escalate further.
Unlock MLS has applied a flat fine structure to CCP violations. This structure is consistent with how many MLSs address specific types of MLS violations and is the most responsive choice to the needs of our marketplace and the consumers we serve.
Each listing in violation of the CCP will result in a fine of $100 and require a submission of the Seller’s Authorization to Exclude form (or similar form) to Unlock MLS. Fines that are ignored will be escalated to the broker and double every 10 days until payment is submitted and the form is submitted. Continuing to disregard CCP violations can result in additional penalties, such as required MLS education.
Brokers may submit their own version of the Seller’s Authorization to Exclude within two (2) business days of a Courtesy Notice. At that time, the MLS Compliance staff will review the submitted form to determine whether it meets the requirements of the exclusion. If it does not meet the requirements, staff will notify the broker to submit a revised form.
Our goal is to bring you the most complete and accurate data for this market. Listings found in social media groups or private listing networks that have not been entered into the MLS are violating the CCP. You can submit examples of these violations to support@abor.com. Submissions can be maintained anonymously.
We’re working to bring you the most complete and accurate data for this market. Private listing networks can be seen as creating barriers to effectively providing all listing options for your clients. Unlock MLS seeks to avoid a disjointed and inefficient experience for your clients. We’ve aligned the MLS Rules and Regulations to protect the privacy consumers expect and deserve in the MLS marketplace. These policies include not displaying the sold listing price and removing all but the primary photo of a sold listing from internet display. These efforts ensure a most complete and accurate dataset for the market, without compromising the privacy of your clients.
Displaying this information on IDX and VOW sites has unintended consequences that has led to misuse of the data in the past. We’ve made this change to give your clients peace of mind when using the MLS to buy or sell a home in Central Texas.
The changes approved by the Unlock MLS Board will ensure sold prices are not displayed on the internet. MLS participants and subscribers will continue to have access to this data to share with their clients and make informed decisions about their real estate needs. By limiting the widespread access to the data across the internet, we’re ensuring this information is used only for the buying and selling of property. Brokers can do the same by checking their agreements with advertising portals and ensuring they’re limiting the display of sold prices as well.
We’ve heard loud and clear that consumers don’t like the photos of their new home to display on the internet after they have moved in. It creates fear around the privacy of their home. This change gives a greater sense of security to consumers and encourages confidence in the direct benefits of marketing their home for sale in the MLS marketplace.