New York
REBNY: virtual staging rules
What REBNY 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
Disclosure and labeling requirements for REBNY's RLS could not be confirmed from REBNY's published rules for this page. Verify current photo and staging-disclosure requirements with REBNY's RLS compliance team before relying on any specific watermark wording.
Permitted
Staging with disclosure; verify with REBNY.
Prohibited
Photos that do not accurately depict the listed property (see 19 NYCRR 175.25(c)(9)).
Penalty
Verify with REBNY.
Provenance: these board rules were documented as part of RELTO's New York research, whose state entry is verified against secondary public guidance (MLS advisory, regulator memo, or REALTOR association PDF). 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 New York: New York virtual staging rules.
Disclosure language you can copy
RELTO's recommended wording — always confirm the exact format REBNY 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
- OneKey MLS — Accurate Listing Media and Information Violation — New York
- OneKey MLS — Understanding Fine Escalations and Calculations — New York
- NY Senate — S9584, digital representations in real estate listings — New York
- NY Assembly — A11635, disclosure of digitally altered images in advertising — New York
Stage compliantly on REBNY
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.