CREB® Member Practice will begin auditing MLS® System listings on June 15, 2022 to ensure that all withdrawn listings are in compliance with MLS® System Listing Rule 3.05.
A MLS® Listing may be temporarily withdrawn for up to ten (10) Calendar Days per withdrawal request, provided that the Listing Brokerage provides written instruction to the Board that are signed by the person(s) who signed the MLS® Listing Contract and that state the reason for temporary withdrawal/suspension.
Any listing in withdrawn status must be resolved within 10 days unless they fall into one of the following situations:
- Temporary rule relaxation
The temporary rule relaxation due to COVID-19 is still in effect. A listing may be withdrawn for more than 10 days due to COVID-19, pending the brokerage has this request in writing. - A seller continues to provide back-to-back withdrawn requests
A listing may be withdrawn for longer than 10 days if the sellers are giving the brokerage repetitive withdrawal requests, effectively keeping the listing in withdrawn status.
Help us maintain the accuracy and consistency of our MLS® System data by reviewing your withdrawn listings to determine if the listing should still be in a withdrawn status prior to the next compliance audit on June 15, 2022. After this date, listing agents that have overdue withdrawn listings may receive:
- An educational advisory for the violation;
- $250 fine for the second offence;
- $500 fine for the third offence; and
- Fourth and subsequent offences will result in a disciplinary hearing.
Purpose of withdrawn status
Changing a listing status to withdrawn is meant to be a short-term solution to temporarily removing the listing’s visibility on the MLS® System and third-party websites such as REALTOR.ca without having to terminate the listing.
The following are examples of when it is appropriate to withdraw a listing:
- During the holidays when showings can’t be accommodated.
- For unexpected repairs to a home that prohibit access.
- When temporary occupants are residing in the property (e.g., vacation rental properties) and showings can’t be accommodated.
- If illness prevents other people from accessing the property (such as COVID-19).
As a reminder, the days on market (DOM) and cumulative days on market (CDOM) continue to accumulate when a listing is withdrawn. If a property is going to be off market for more than 10 days, it may be worth having a conversation with the seller and exploring the option of terminating the listing and relisting it when the property is available to be marketed again.
About quarterly compliance audits
To ensure CREB® members are meeting compliance requirements, and maintain data integrity in the MLS® System, CREB® Member Practice administers quarterly compliance audits each year.
In alignment with CREB®’s education first philosophy, audits are an opportunity to bring awareness to the rules and assist members in developing best business practices to reduce risk to the member for future violations.
The 2022, audits will focus on a different compliance requirement each quarter:
- Q1 – Overdue pending
- Q2 – Overdue withdrawn
- Q3 – Over one year in active
- Q4 – Zero days on market
If you have any questions about quarterly audits, please contact CREB® member practice at 403-781-1336 or crebmp@creb.ca.
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