New York

OneKey® MLS (New York — NYC metro, Long Island, Hudson Valley)

We read the OneKey® MLS Rules & Procedures v2026C in full. There is no virtual-staging rule, no watermark requirement and no altered-photo rule — contrary to what most guides claim. Here is what Rule 307 actually says, and what New York law adds.

Answer first

No — OneKey® MLS does not require a virtual-staging disclosure. We read the OneKey® MLS Rules & Procedures v2026C cover to cover: the words ‘staged’, ‘staging’, ‘watermark’ and ‘digitally’ do not appear anywhere in the rulebook. The only image rules are Rule 307 (images must accurately reflect only the listed property and must carry no contact or identifying information) and Rule 306.10 (‘To Be Built’ listings must say in the description that the photos are computer-generated images). New York State adds only a general duty under 19 NYCRR § 175.25(c)(9) that advertisements include ‘an honest and accurate description of the property’. So in New York the operative constraint on a virtually staged photo today is honesty, not a prescribed label — and note that OneKey Rule 307.1 cuts the other way on watermarks: burning a vendor name, logo or website URL into a listing photo is itself a rules violation. A pending bill, S9584, would change this. Not legal advice — verify against the current rulebook before you rely on it.

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New York

What OneKey® MLS (New York — NYC metro, Long Island, Hudson Valley) requires

Disclosure requiredNo
Required label wordingNONE required — and a vendor-branded badge is affirmatively RISKY here. OneKey Rule 307.1 requires attached images to ‘not include any contact or other identifying Information’, and OneKey’s own official violation article for that rule instructs members to ‘Remove or replace any media that includes contact details, branding, or information unrelated to the property itself’, listing ‘brokerage logos’ and ‘external website links’ as examples. A burned-in badge carrying the SEAREI name or a verify URL is therefore exposed to a Rule 307 violation, even though no rule requires or forbids a staging label as such.
Label placementNot applicable — no on-image disclosure is required by any OneKey rule. Rule 307.2 additionally forbids any image manipulation that obscures the MLS logo, copyright notice or other MLS identifying information.
Listing description must discloseNo
Original photo requiredNo

Alterations this rule covers:

  • NEGATIVE FINDING (full-text verified): the OneKey® MLS Rules & Procedures v2026C contain ZERO occurrences of ‘staged’, ‘staging’, ‘watermark’, ‘digitally’, ‘misrepresent’, ‘deceptive’ or ‘misleading’. There is no virtual-staging rule, no altered-photo rule and no AI-image rule in the OneKey rulebook as of version 2026C (article updated March 31, 2026).
  • What DOES apply — Rule 307.1 (verbatim): “All images, documents, and Other Information that are attached to a Listing, including by link or reference, or which are otherwise submitted for publication in the MLS Compilation, or in any other media, electronic or otherwise, must accurately reflect only information or descriptions of the listed Property, and must not include any contact or other identifying Information.”
  • Rule 307.2 (verbatim): “Photographs and images shall not be manipulated in any way so as to obscure in whole or in part the MLS logo, any MLS copyright notice or symbol, or any other MLS identifying information of any kind.”
  • Rule 306.10 — the ONLY place OneKey addresses non-photographic imagery: “To Be Built” listings must state in the Property Description field that “the attached photos are computer-generated images and not actual photographs, they are just depictions as to what the property may look like.” This is a new-construction/CGI rule, NOT a virtual-staging rule.
  • Statewide backstop — 19 NYCRR § 175.25(c)(9) (verbatim, first sentence): “Advertisements shall include an honest and accurate description of the property to be sold or leased.” The regulation says nothing about photographs, alteration, AI or staging; misleading staged imagery is reachable only through this general honesty duty and RPL § 441-c discipline.

That’s the OneKey® MLS (New York — NYC metro, Long Island, Hudson Valley) rule. SEAREI applies it to your photos automatically — the disclosure, the description text, and a certificate that proves it — in about 2 minutes. Your first listing is free.

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The rule

OneKey® MLS Rules & Procedures, Version 2026C — Rule 307 (Accurate Images and Attachments), Rule 306.10 (“To Be Built” Listings), Rule 1103 (Schedule of Automatic Fines). NEGATIVE FINDING: version 2026C contains NO virtual-staging rule. Statewide backstop: 19 NYCRR § 175.25(c)(9) (honest and accurate description of the property).

Effective 2026-03-31.

Read the source →

Penalty

No staging-specific penalty exists. If an altered image is cited under Rule 307 (‘Inaccurate Image or Attachment’), the Schedule of Automatic Fines (Rule 1103) sets it at Class 2, Note F — Class 2 base fine = $100.00 (Rule 1101). Rule 306.10 (‘To Be Built’ Listings) is Class 1, Note C — base fine $50.00. Do NOT publish a ‘virtual staging fine’ figure for OneKey: none exists.

FAQ

Does OneKey MLS require you to label virtually staged photos?

No. The OneKey® MLS Rules & Procedures v2026C — the current version, published on OneKey’s support site and updated March 31, 2026 — contain no virtual-staging rule at all. A full-text search of the rulebook returns zero occurrences of ‘staged’, ‘staging’, ‘watermark’ or ‘digitally’. Widely circulated guides that say OneKey ‘requires clear disclosure labels on virtually staged photos’ do not cite a rule number, because there is not one to cite.

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What OneKey MLS rule actually governs listing photos?

Rule 307, ‘Accurate Images and Attachments’. Rule 307.1 requires that all images attached to a listing ‘must accurately reflect only information or descriptions of the listed Property, and must not include any contact or other identifying Information.’ Rule 307.2 forbids manipulating an image so as to obscure the MLS logo, copyright notice or other MLS identifying information. Under the Schedule of Automatic Fines, a Rule 307 violation (‘Inaccurate Image or Attachment’) is a Class 2 offense with a $100 base fine.

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Can I put a ‘Virtually Staged’ watermark with my company name on a OneKey listing photo?

Putting the words on the photo is not prohibited, but putting your company name, logo or website on it is. OneKey’s official violation article for Rule 307.1 tells members to ‘Remove or replace any media that includes contact details, branding, or information unrelated to the property itself’, and names brokerage logos and external website links as examples. So a staging label should be plain text with no vendor branding and no verification URL burned into the image.

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What does New York State law require for altered listing photos?

Only a general honesty duty today. 19 NYCRR § 175.25(c)(9) provides that ‘Advertisements shall include an honest and accurate description of the property to be sold or leased.’ The regulation does not mention photographs, digital alteration, AI or virtual staging, and prescribes no label or watermark. Misleading imagery is reached through that duty and through the untrustworthiness/misleading-advertising grounds in RPL § 441-c.

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Is New York about to pass a virtual staging disclosure law?

A bill is moving but is not law. Senate Bill S9584 (2025-2026 session, Sen. Rachel May) would add General Business Law § 349-i, making materially misleading digital representations in real estate listings a deceptive act, requiring a ‘clear and conspicuous disclosure’ on materially altered images and, where virtual staging is used, disclosure ‘that furnishings or finishes were digitally added.’ It was reported from the Consumer Protection Committee on April 28, 2026 (5 aye, 2 aye-with-reservations) and committed to Judiciary. It has not passed either chamber and is not in effect.

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Sources

Last verified 2026-08-19.

Related

This page summarizes publicly available rules for general information and is not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with the cited source or your broker or legal counsel before relying on it.