Rockville, MD · Member since 2014 · 5 posts · 2 votes
I purchased my property over 2 years ago, but dozens of pictures of my property are still showing up on major real estate websites.
The original listing agent got a response from MRIS which says that the pictures are too old to be removed. I called MRIS, and they said the same thing. I know they can be removed pretty easily. It is just a matter of will.
I am seeking some advice here. What can I do to protect my privacy by having the pictures removed? Thanks a lot.
Investor · Knoxville, TN · Member since 2017 · 34 posts · 16 votes
9y
I'm a real estate agent, not an attorney, so I can't cite any privacy laws here but I can tell you what our local MLS has told its members about this issue. The reason our local MLS keeps old photos is so real estate professionals can research previous sales. According to the MLS, the legal issue is that those pictures are technically not pictures of your property. They are pictures of the previous owner's property and the previous owner gave written permission to have those pictures posted on the MLS. You may now own that same property, but it wasn't your property on the date the photos were taken. Even when people have threatened the MLS with legal action, they still decline to remove old photos because they know they have legal authorization to display them. I know it stinks when anyone can pull up a website and peek inside your home but I'm not sure there is anything you can do about it. Maybe an attorney can offer more advice.
Realtor · Smyrna, TN 37167 · Member since 2013 · 248 posts · 147 votes
9y
Sites such as Zillow will allow you to "claim" your home. From there you may be able to remove old photos. You can do the same from the agent's side when publishing a home for sale. That won't take care of the source MRIS problem, but it would at least eliminate some of the pictures out there on the Internet.