Zillow and Redfin Announce Listings Ban Enforcement Timelines

Zillow Group is preparing to enforce its new listing access policy imminently.

Starting May 28, agents with listings that violate the policy, which targets publicly marketed properties not made widely available to consumers, will receive warnings. Full enforcement, such as removal from Zillow, Trulia, and StreetEasy, will begin June 30.

StreetEasy, Zillow Group’s New York-focused portal, will also implement a modified version of the policy.

Caroline Burton, VP and general manager at StreetEasy, said:

"StreetEasy and Zillow have always advocated for fair and equitable access to real estate information — it’s what we were built on. Sellers deserve to have their listing seen by the widest audience, and buyers deserve to see all of the homes on the market. It’s the only way they’ll have a fair shot at buying one."

The updated rules do not apply to rental listings, for-sale-by-owner properties, or builder-represented new construction. Office-exclusive listings can still be posted if the seller signs a disclosure and the property is shared only within the listing brokerage or directly with individual clients.

The move is intended to promote listing transparency and prevent agents from selectively marketing listings that limit fair competition. Rival portal Homes.com has already indicated it is ready to host listings removed by Zillow under the new policy.

Meanwhile, Redfin has joined Zillow in banning non-MLS listings from its site, but will start doing so from September.

Redfin's move is in line with the NAR's missive that all MLSs must implement the new terms of Delayed Marketing Exempt Listings (DMEL) under the Multiple Listing Options for Sellers (MLOS) policy by this date.

Redfin boss Glenn Kelman also urged MLSs to create a new 'coming soon' designation that would ban portals from displaying a property's days on the market and pricing history.

Kelman previously said:

"We believe that all buyers should be able to see all listings. Redfin.com will not publish any listings that have been publicly marketed before being shared with all real estate websites via the MLS.

"To encourage homesellers to market their listings via the MLS, Redfin is also asking MLSs to create a coming soon designation for listings that precludes search sites from showing how long a home has been for sale and at what prices."