GuideUpdated
Is virtual staging allowed on Zillow and the MLS?
Yes — virtual staging is allowed on Zillow, Realtor.com and nearly all MLSs, with two consistent conditions: you disclose that the photo is virtually staged, and you don’t alter the home itself. Adding furniture to an empty room is fine; removing a stain, hiding a power line or changing the flooring is misrepresentation. In California, a state law in effect since January 1, 2026 (AB 723) adds one more step: a link to the original, unaltered photo.
The two rules that appear everywhere
- Disclose: label virtually staged photos as such (in the photo caption, a corner watermark, or the listing remarks — your MLS specifies which). Many agents also include the original empty-room photo alongside the staged one.
- Don’t alter the property: furniture and decor may be added, but walls, floors, fixtures, views and the physical condition of the home must stay exactly as photographed.
California: AB 723, in effect since January 1, 2026
California’s AB 723 (Business and Professions Code section 10140.8) covers every digitally altered image in a listing ad or marketing piece. The agent has to put a disclosure on or next to the image saying it was altered, plus a link or QR code to a public page that shows the original, unaltered photo. The law separates standard edits like exposure and white balance, which need nothing, from changes to how the property looks: virtual staging, removing objects or wires, adding a lawn. A willful violation of the Real Estate Law can be prosecuted as a crime, and the Department of Real Estate can discipline the license. Local MLSs add their own rules on top; San Diego MLS, for example, requires altered images to be labeled and the originals made available.
How this maps to AI staging tools
The compliance question with AI staging is whether the tool changes anything besides furniture. PropWalk’s virtual staging only adds furniture and decor — the architecture, windows, flooring and finishes stay untouched, which keeps staged photos within the standard MLS rules. The same principle applies to its other tools: photo relighting changes exposure and color, not the rooms; sky replacement changes the sky, not the house. Decluttering sits in the same category as staging: removing a seller’s personal items is broadly accepted with disclosure, but removing anything attached to the home is not. In California, treat decluttering and a replaced sky like staging: label them and link the original.
Every PropWalk photo tool comes with the disclosure kit: the caption to paste into your MLS, the AB 723 line, and a public page with the unaltered originals of that batch, so the link the law asks for is already made.
Practical compliance checklist
- Check your local MLS’s photo policy — disclosure wording and placement vary by MLS.
- Caption staged photos ("Virtually staged") and keep the originals.
- In California: a disclosure on or next to each altered photo, with a link or QR code to the unaltered original (AB 723).
- Never stage over defects — an AI-staged photo must not hide the home’s condition.
- Disclose day-to-dusk / sky-replaced exteriors where your MLS requires photo-edit disclosure.
Sources: NeuhausRE — AI virtual staging rules & best practices (2026) · California AB 723 (bill text) · San Diego MLS — AB 723 digitally altered images FAQ · Inman — What you should know about California’s new listing photo law
Quick answers
Do I have to disclose virtual staging on the MLS?+
Almost always, yes. Most MLSs require virtually staged photos to be identified — typically in the photo caption or listing remarks. Zillow likewise expects staged photos to be disclosed. Check your local MLS’s exact wording requirement.
What is California AB 723?+
A California law in effect since January 1, 2026 (Business and Professions Code section 10140.8). Any digitally altered image used to market a property, virtual staging included, needs a disclosure on or next to the image and a link or QR code to the original, unaltered photo. Standard edits like exposure and white balance are not covered.
Can virtual staging remove things from a photo?+
Removing or concealing features of the home (damage, wires, fixtures, views) is generally prohibited as misrepresentation. Staging should only add furniture and decor. PropWalk’s staging tool leaves the room itself untouched for this reason.
Are AI walkthrough videos allowed on the MLS?+
Video tours generated from the listing’s own photos show the actual home, which is what MLS accuracy rules are about. As with photos, don’t use video that misrepresents the property, and follow your MLS’s media disclosure rules.
Start with the listing you have right now.
Upload the empty rooms. Under a minute later each one is furnished, with the disclosure line and the original beside it.
How the virtual staging works