# SmartMLS: virtual staging rules

- Board: SmartMLS
- States: Connecticut
- Canonical page: https://relto.app/mls-compliance/boards/smartmls

## As documented in RELTO's Connecticut research

- Disclosure rule: SmartMLS's published help articles are the source for its guidance that disclosure text in the photo description field is not carried into data feeds to third-party IDX sites and that a digital stamp on the photo is how the disclosure travels. We could not re-read those articles directly; verify them with SmartMLS.
- Permitted: Virtual staging with an on-image stamp or watermark noting it is virtually staged; per SmartMLS, a virtually staged photo does not need a companion as-is photo, but a 'virtually altered' photo must be accompanied by a photo showing the property as it actually is (SmartMLS help articles, seen as excerpts).
- Prohibited: Relying on caption-only disclosure if the listing will syndicate via IDX. Images that misrepresent actual property condition.
- Penalty: Not confirmed from the sources we could read; check the SmartMLS rules and fine schedule.

Provenance: these board rules were documented as part of RELTO's Connecticut research, whose state entry is verified against secondary public guidance (MLS advisory, regulator memo, or REALTOR association PDF) (last verified 2026-10-11). 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 Connecticut: https://relto.app/mls-compliance/connecticut

## Not legal advice

Informational only. RELTO is a virtual-staging technology provider, not a law firm. 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. Verification dates and confidence tiers describe the state entries, not board-specific rulebook citations.