Breach listings, images and URLs

May 17, 2024 06:26

What are breach listings, images and URLs?

This is kinda serious. 'Breach' listings, images and URLs are those that breach Domain Group's Acceptable Use Policy and are not permitted on our site.

What are 'Breach Listings'

Breach listings are listings that are in breach of our terms and conditions of advertising. We are notified of breach listings via feedback from users, agents, and account managers, or via internal detection systems.

When breach listings are identified, the listing will be removed and the agency will be sent an official warning. After 2 warnings, an infringement will be sent to the agency as a deterrent, and to cover administration costs.

This is because property searchers do not like to see listings that are not available, and as a result, leave our website and post negative reviews. This is harmful to agents as well as Allhomes.

Breach Listing Categories
Sold or Leased listings in For Sale/For Rent section
Under contract / Under Offer
Deposit Taken/Application Accepted - More than 10 days (rental only)
Duplicate listings
Commercial listings on Allhomes
Breach Images and Video
Breach Logo/Watermark
Breach URL
Underquoting: Offers over, offers above
Where in the terms and conditions does it say I can’t load these listings or images?

Breach Listing Categories

Sold in For Sale/Leased in For Rent for more than 24 hours
Deposit Taken/Application Accepted for more than 30 days
Duplicate Listings
Commercial listings in Allhomes residential section

Sold or Leased listings in For Sale/For Rent section

If a listing is live in the For Sale or For rent section and communicates in any way that the listing is now sold or leased, or otherwise not available, for more than 24 hours, this is a breach of our terms and conditions of advertising.

Once a listing has been sold/leased the status should be updated to Sold, Under Offer/Contract, or Leased within 24 hours. Examples of breach listings are included below:

Although these examples are from Domain listings, the same rules apply to Allhomes.

Sold on Domain.com.au

Leased

This listing is a breach listing because it includes the words “Under Offer” however, the listing status is For Sale.

Under contract / Under Offer

Listings are in breach of our guidelines if the status is For Sale or For Lease, but the listing says "Under Offer", "Under Contract", “Deposit Taken”, “Application Accepted” or otherwise communicate the listing is no longer available, for more than 30 days.

After this time, listing status must be changed to Sold, Leased or Archived.

This listing is a breach listing because it includes the words “Under Offer” however, the listing's status is For Sale.

Deposit Taken/Application Accepted - More than 10 days (rental only)

Rental Listings are in breach of our guidelines if they say “Deposit Taken”, “Application Accepted” or otherwise communicate the listing is no longer available, for more than 10 days (30 days WA)

After this time, listing status must be changed to Leased or Archived.

Duplicate listings

Domain Group's definition of a duplicate listing is when there is more than one listing with the same details under the same agency or company, and there is no way to differentiate between the listings (such as new developments), or if the same property has been listed in multiple suburbs.

Common examples of duplicate listings:

Listings uploaded once under suburb A and again under suburb B
There are multiple apartments in a building, all with the same images, number of bedrooms, baths and parking, and the full address is not displayed.
Listing is loaded by more than one agent

As per our terms and conditions, a listing may only be uploaded once, even if it fits multiple categories, or is claimed to be “on the border” of 2 adjoining suburbs.

A listing must be loaded once and must be loaded under the correct suburb according to the property contract and council records. A property must not be loaded as one suburb and then again under a different suburb. This is a breach of terms and conditions, and considered misleading. Domain Group does not accept listings which are “on the border” - the property is either in suburb A or suburb B.

If there are multiple listings within a development, there must be some differentiation between the listings, ie unit number, or property type. In this scenario, a New Development account should be established. This is because property searchers don't want to scroll through pages and pages of the same house and land package or apartment, or be spammed with property alerts containing the same listing.

When are Duplicate listings permitted?

Occasionally, a property is authorised and marketed as an ‘open listing’ or there is some other kind of arrangement between the vendor and multiple agents.

This means that more than one agent is authorised to market the listing, and therefore the listings can be uploaded once by agent A and once by agent B, etc.

This is not permitted if both agents are from the same agency, or the agencies are somehow related by franchise, head office/company or otherwise.

Sometimes, a developer is trying to sell a vacant land listing, and the builder is selling the same address as a package. This is also permitted, as long as the listings are not loaded by the same company.

Duplicate listings will be managed in accordance with our breach listings guidelines.

Commercial listings on Allhomes

Allhomes.com.au no longer has a category for Commercial listings. A commercial property may not be advertised on Allhomes unless there is a residential component to the property. Eg: A shop that also has a bedroom. All commercial and business listings must now be advertised on commercialrealestate.com.au.

Breach Images and Video

It’s important that your listings appear as great as possible on Allhomes, and that our users enjoy searching on our apps and website no matter which device they are using.

For this reason, images used must be in accordance with the following:

Images

Images must be of the actual property
Images may not include any text or corporate message
Images may not display a collage or combination of photos or other images within one frame.
Images may not include a logo
Images may not include a border
Surrounding area or neighbourhood/lifestyle images may not be used as the main image, or the first 3 images, and must depict the actual location.
Documents such as contracts (or components of the contract), inclusions, etc may not be uploaded as an image.

Video

Video must not advertise the ‘lifestyle’, yourself or your agency
Video and Virtual tour must not link to external websites
Video may include a transparent watermark of your agency logo in one corner of the Video with dimensions no greater than 10% of the total image size that does not obstruct the Video content. The sole purpose of video is to advertise the property for sale or lease.

Example of breach images:

Breach Logo/Watermark

A watermark may be included with images according to these specifications.

Breaches of the logo/watermark guidelines will receive a 1st and 2nd warning, and infringement notices thereafter.

Breach URL

Under no circumstance may a listings content, or agency/agents profile content include any links/URLs that redirect to external websites.

There are a number of dedicated options and fields available for linking to agency/agent website and social media.

Listings that include breach URLs will be removed immediately, and the agency will receive an infringement. There is no 1st or 2nd warning for this breach.

Underquoting: Offers over, offers above

Agents must not advertise listings that provide any price estimate less than what you have reasonably estimated that a property is worth (as recorded in the agency agreement with the seller).

Listings must not use any statements such as "offers above" or "offers over" an amount, or "plus" a particular price (for example, $500,000+), which could underquote or obscure a property's estimated value.

Where in the terms and conditions does it say I can’t load these listings or images?

The following extracts are from our terms and conditions, and acceptable use policy relating to this article.

Domain Terms and Conditions:
...4. you may only advertise properties that your office is selling as agent and that are currently available for sale or lease...

...6. properties may only be listed once on the Site. Duplicate listings may incur additional fees;...

...9. agent banners are for branding purposes only and may only link to the agency’s website or an agent’s profile on the agency’s website. Agency banners are not, under any circumstances, permitted to link to any webpage that promotes any property or project;...

...11. you will not include any logos or other forms of branding in your property listings, including photos;...

“...We reserve the right (but have no obligation) to review, modify, reformat, reject or remove (or direct you to modify or remove) any material that you upload, post, transmit or otherwise make available (or attempt to upload, post, transmit or otherwise make available) via the Site if the material is, in the opinion of Domain, illegal, defamatory, offensive, obscene and/or contrary to the business interest, goodwill and/or reputation of Domain or any of its customers or vendors or is likely to infringe on the rights of third parties...”

Domain Acceptable Use Policy:
“...You cannot list properties on the residential section of domain.com.au that appear generic. Each listing must have a specific address or lot number...“

“...You must only use the information, description or picture fields for inserting information that is intended for those fields...“

“...You cannot list properties for sale in the ‘Rent’ section or list properties for rent in the ‘Buy’ section. In addition, you cannot load ‘Sold’ properties into the ‘Buy’ section of domain.com.au...”

“...You cannot insert a business or agency logo as a picture in a property listing. ...you cannot display text within a photograph or upload a drawing of the property.
You cannot load images with watermarks across them, and/or borders.
‘Images Coming’ or images of animated houses are not acceptable. In addition, ‘Lifestyle’ images are not to be used as the main image in a property listing.
It is unacceptable to display a collage or combination of photos or other images within one frame on a listing.
You must not use Video to advertise the ‘lifestyle’, yourself or your agency, except that you may include a transparent watermark of your agency logo in one corner of the Video with dimensions no greater than 10% of the total image size that does not obstruct the Video content…"