# Section 7: Data Entry & Content Integrity
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This section establishes baseline standards for accuracy, neutrality, and professionalism in MLS content. These standards protect the integrity of the MLS database and ensure users can rely on MLS information for cooperation, valuation, and market analysis.
### [7.1 – Listing Content, Accuracy & Media Integrity](#id-7.1-listing-content-accuracy-and-media-integrity) 🟦
Participants and Subscribers are solely responsible for the accuracy of all data submitted. The MLS does not verify information and disclaims responsibility for its accuracy. Each Participant agrees to hold the service harmless against any liability arising from any inaccuracy or inadequacy of the information provided.
#### [A. Property Pricing](#a.-property-pricing) 🟦
The full gross listing price stated in the contract must be published. Properties subject to auction must be clearly identified in the Public Remarks of a listing. The disclosure must include, at a minimum, a statement that the property is being sold via auction, the date, time, and location of the auction, and whether a buyer premium applies to the final sale price. $0.00 list prices are prohibited. Absolute auctions may use $1.00; Reserve auctions must use the Starting Bid or Reserve Price.
#### [B. Short Sale Disclosures](#b.-short-sale-disclosures) 🟦
Potential short sales must be disclosed to other Participants. A short sale is a transaction in which the lender, or lenders, agree to accept less than the mortgage amount owed by the current homeowner.
#### [C. Photo & Media Requirements](#c.-photo-and-media-requirements) 🟦
BSCMLS may remove media found to violate these rules and will notify the Participant/Subscriber. Where feasible, BSCMLS may allow a reasonable opportunity to cure before removal. To maintain the professional standards of our service and ensure the property remains the primary focus, all photos and media submitted must adhere to the following guidelines:
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**Ownership and Usage Rights:**
Participants and Subscribers must have the legal right to use any media content uploaded to BSCMLS. Media from a previous listing may not be reused for a new listing without the express written consent of the original rights holder. BSCMLS does not claim ownership of listing content; by uploading media, the Participant warrants they have authority to publish and/or license it for MLS display and distribution consistent with MLS purposes.
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**Minimum Count:**
All listings must include at least 3 photos. Residential listings must include at least one front exterior photo. The minimum photo count is a BSCMLS content standard.
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**Property Focus:**
All images must depict the property itself. Media may not contain promotional messages, text overlays, or superimposed graphics intended to market the agent or firm (e.g., “Sold in 3 days!”, “Price Reduced”, or agent contact info).
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**Prohibition on Branding:**
Branding is prohibited in listing photos and media files uploaded directly into the MLS. Brokerage names, logos, agent photos, contact information, slogans, and other promotional content are not permitted in uploaded listing media.
This prohibition does **not** apply to branded virtual tours or 3D tours submitted only through the designated **Virtual Tour** and **3D Tour** URL fields, which are governed by [**Section 7.1.D**](#d.-virtual-tours-and-3d-tours).
Public associated documents are governed separately by [**Section 7.2**](#id-7.2-public-associated-documents).
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Branded videos and branded 3D tours are permitted because they are external linked marketing tools associated with the listing, not core MLS media content. By contrast, photos and media files uploaded directly into the MLS become part of the MLS record itself and must remain neutral, property-specific, and free of promotional branding.
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**Signage Exceptions (Commercial & Third-Party):**
**a) Commercial Properties:** May include signage of the business provided the Listing Agent has express permission from the seller or landlord.
**b) Third-Party Providers:** Visible signage for third-party service providers (e.g., Builders, Contractors) is permitted only if the contact information is wholly independent of the Listing Brokerage.
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**Indirect Branding:**
If the contact information displayed on a third-party sign functions as a referral mechanism - whereby callers are redirected, forwarded, or instructed to contact the Listing Agent/Brokerage for information on the subject property - the presence of that signage constitutes a branding violation. The MLS reserves the right to test third-party contact numbers to verify compliance. “Test” means contacting the number/URL to verify it does not route to or promote the listing brokerage/agent.
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**New Construction:**
Photos must be of the subject property or a model home of the same design. Photo renderings are permitted but must be disclosed as such in the photo description or remarks. Disclosures must be clear and conspicuous (e.g., first words of the caption: “Rendering”).
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Different rules apply for new construction COMP ONLY listings (see [**Comparison Only Sales (“COMP ONLY”)**](https://rulebook.bscmls.com/pages/aJ9uVyuBt9rjWl5xYxB3#id-11.1-comparison-only-sales-comp-only)).
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#### [D. Virtual Tours & 3D Tours](#d.-virtual-tours-and-3d-tours)
Internet links to property-specific videos and 3D tours may be included only in the designated **Virtual Tour** and **3D Tour** URL fields.
Branding within a Virtual Tour or 3D Tour is permitted, including voiceovers, display of agent or firm contact information, and team or firm logos, provided the content remains specific to the subject property.
Comments, captions, links, or embedded content unrelated to the subject property are prohibited. Marketing additional real estate-related services offered by the agent or firm, advertising other listings, or directing users to external lead-generation pages is not permitted.
Internet links in the MLS, including but not limited to the **Virtual Tour URL**, **3D Tour URL**, and **Community / Developer URL** fields, may not be used to circumvent the prohibition on offers of compensation in the MLS or to direct users to a website displaying compensation information that is prohibited under MLS rules.
Public associated documents are governed separately by [**Section 7.2**](#id-7.2-public-associated-documents).
#### [E. Partial (Incomplete) Listings](#e.-partial-incomplete-listings)
A Partial Listing is a draft listing record saved in the MLS but not activated/published. Partial listings not activated will be purged after 365 days of inactivity unless a future Listing Date is entered.
#### [F. Address Entry and Privacy Options](#f.-accuracy-of-factual-fields-source-documentation-address-privacy-controls) 🟦
Participants and Subscribers must enter MLS information accurately and in a manner consistent with the executed listing agreement and any written seller instructions or authorized addenda. MLS fields intended to capture factual information (including, but not limited to, property address, legal description/parcel identification, listing/expiration dates, list price, and zoning) must not be replaced with marketing language, generalized descriptions, placeholders, or text intended to obscure the property’s identity.
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**Seller Address Privacy**
If a seller instructs the listing broker to withhold the property address from public internet display, the listing agent must use the MLS’s approved internet display/syndication setting(s) designed to suppress the address in IDX and data feeds, rather than altering or omitting the address in MLS address fields. **The address must remain accurate in MLS address fields even when public display is suppressed.** Public sites may display “Address Unavailable” (or similar) when address suppression is selected; however, the address remains available within the MLS to authorized users as permitted by MLS rules and data license terms.
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**Verification**
Upon request, MLS Staff may require the Participant/Subscriber to provide the executed listing agreement and/or relevant written seller instructions to verify compliance with this section.
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### [7.2 – Public Associated Documents](#id-7.2-public-associated-documents)
This section applies specifically to documents uploaded for public viewing and governs those documents independently from the photo and media rules in [**Section 7.1.C**](#c.-photo-and-media-requirements) and [**Section 7.1.D**](#d.-virtual-tours-and-3d-tours).
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**Rule of thumb:** If the document contains any agent/brokerage branding or contact information, it must be marked “Private.”
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Documents uploaded to the Service for public viewing (e.g., "Associated Docs," "Supplements") must be free of all branding, including logos, agent photos, slogans, and contact information (including but not limited to: agent or broker names, phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses, and website URLs), with the following strict exceptions:
* **A. Statutory & Legal Disclosures:** Documents that are required by federal, state, or local law to be signed and dated by the Listing Agent/Broker may retain the agent’s signature block and firm identification as legally required.
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**Permitted:** Lead-Based Paint, Mold, and Owner’s Property Disclosures.
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**Prohibited:** Marketing taglines or brokerage logos on any such document.
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* **B. Third-Party Professional Reports:** Reports generated by independent third-party licensed professionals (title, engineering, inspections) may be uploaded in original complete format (including cover pages) to preserve disclaimers, dates, and legal descriptions.
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**Permitted “Passive” Identification:** Listing Agent/Brokerage name may appear incidentally if it is part of the vendor's standard report template (e.g., "Prepared For: Agent Name, ABC Realty"), provided third-party vendor branding is dominant and no additional agent contact information has been added.
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**Prohibited “Promotional” Elements:** Agent headshots, slogans/taglines, phone numbers, email addresses, website URLs, and promotional calls-to-action. If a vendor's template includes any of these elements, the Listing Agent must request a neutral version from the vendor or redact the prohibited elements before uploading.
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* **C. “Prepared By” Attribution:** For agent-created documents (floor plans, feature sheets), a small attribution is permitted for copyright/liability, but it must contain no contact information.
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**Permitted:** “Floor plan prepared by Agent X, ABC Realty. Measurements are approximate.”
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**Prohibited:** Attributions combined with contact information (phone number, email address, website URL, physical address, logo, or promotional statement): "Floor plan prepared by Agent X, ABC Realty. Call 406-555-1234 or visit [www.agentwebsite.com](http://www.agentwebsite.com) for more info!"
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* **D. Property Flyers and Marketing Materials:** Property flyers, buyer packets, and any other agent- or brokerage-created marketing materials – including those that link to or direct viewers to an external document, website, or file – must be uploaded as Associated Documents and marked "Private." Any document that displays agent or brokerage contact information (phone number, email, website URL, logo, or photo) in any form must be designated as a Private document and will not be accessible through the public client portal. Uploading such materials as a Public document, or including a URL in any public-facing field that links to such materials, constitutes a violation of this section.
### [7.3 – Prohibited Content Standards (Fair Housing)](#id-7.3-prohibited-content-standards-fair-housing) 🟦
The BSCMLS prohibits entry of words, phrases, or media that convey preference, limitation, or discrimination based on any protected class under federal, state, or local law. While the MLS does not adjudicate Fair Housing violations, it reserves the unilateral right to remove or edit content that appears to violate these standards. BSCMLS will notify the Participant/Subscriber when content is removed/edited and may require correction. Allegations may be referred to appropriate enforcement bodies.
### [7.4 – Disclosure of Interest](#id-7.4-disclosure-of-interest) 🟦
If a Participant or Subscriber has any ownership interest in a property being disseminated through the MLS, that interest must be disclosed when the listing is filed. If a Participant or Subscriber wishes to acquire an interest in a listed property, that contemplated interest must be disclosed in writing to the Listing Agent at the time an offer is submitted.
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