Illinois
MRED: virtual staging rules
What MRED requires before a virtually staged photo goes into a listing — the disclosure rule, the edits it permits, the edits it prohibits, and what happens when a listing gets it wrong.
Disclosure rule
Rule 6.2.3 (rulebook revised 5/14/2026): disclosure of virtually staged photos or renderings is required in the specified listing field. The rulebook gives no exact wording and no watermark requirement.
Permitted
Virtual staging with disclosure, including on To-Be-Built or Under Construction properties (Rule 6.2.3.1).
Prohibited
Adding visual elements outside the owner's control, such as a view not physically possible from the location, or excluding elements such as power lines, water towers, or highways (Rules 6.2.2.1 and 6.2.2.2).
Penalty
The rulebook sets no fine specifically for Rule 6.2; check the MRED fine schedule.
Provenance: these board rules were documented as part of RELTO's Illinois research, whose state entry is verified against the board or statute’s own public rulebook. No separate board-rulebook citation is indexed for this rule — confirm the current wording with the board directly. Full legal context, penalties, and sources for Illinois: Illinois virtual staging rules.
Disclosure language you can copy
RELTO's recommended wording — always confirm the exact format MRED requires (photo label, caption, or public remarks) before publishing.
- On the photo
- Virtually Staged
- In public remarks
- One or more photo(s) was virtually staged.
- Extended disclaimer
- Images have been virtually staged to illustrate the property's potential. Furniture and decor shown are digitally rendered and are not included with the property. Please refer to the original photographs for an accurate representation of the property's current condition.
Sources
Stage compliantly on MRED
RELTO's free tier watermarks every image automatically, and MLS-ready downloads on paid plans add the disclosure label. Free to start, no credit card.
Stage a photo freeInformational only — not legal advice. RELTO is a virtual-staging technology provider, not a law firm, and nothing on this page creates an attorney-client relationship. Board rules and enforcement practices change; confirm each rule with the board's current rulebook, your broker, and a licensed real-estate attorney before relying on it. Every rule above was documented as part of the state research that covers this board; verification dates and confidence tiers describe those state entries, not board-specific rulebook citations.