Real Estate Council of Ontario, and the PropTx MLS® System · last verified 29 July 2026
Virtual staging rules in Ontario
Ontario turned out to be the opposite of what I expected, twice. RECO has nothing — I read every advertising bulletin, the Code of Ethics regulation and TRESA itself, and none of them mentions staging, alteration or AI. But the MLS rules do, explicitly, and almost nobody quotes them correctly. PropTx Article 5.01 names AI and digital staging by name and prohibits them — but only where the image does not accurately depict the property. It is a prohibition on inaccuracy, not a requirement to add a label. Ontario has no disclosure requirement at all.
What you're actually bound by
Two layers, and the MLS one is stricter than most people realise. PropTx Article 5.01(a) bans digitally altered or AI-generated images that do not accurately depict the listed real estate — so a staged photo is fine, a photo that changes the property is not. Article 5.01(d) separately bans any persons or digital representations of persons in listing images, which catches AI-generated people. On top of that, TRESA section 37 prohibits false, misleading or deceptive advertising generally. Note what is absent: nothing in Ontario requires you to label a staged photo.
The actual text
Quoted verbatim. Anything marked regulator guidance is the regulator's stated interpretation rather than a binding section.
The rule that actually names AI and digital staging
Digitally altered images including the use of any artificial intelligence ("AI") system or technology to create, alter, or enhance images or digital staging that do not accurately depict the listed real estate
PropTx MLS® Rules, Art. 5.01(a) — list of prohibited images · Effective 2 December 2024 · Read the source
No people in listing images — including AI-generated ones
Any persons or digital representations of persons
PropTx MLS® Rules, Art. 5.01(d) — list of prohibited images · Effective 2 December 2024 · Read the source
What every image must do
Every image submitted to the MLS® System shall prominently feature the property specific information about the Real Estate Component itself and aspects of the immediate surroundings that relate directly to the Real Estate Component, including, but not limited to, scenery viewed from the Real Estate Component.
PropTx MLS® Rules, Art. 5.01 · Effective 2 December 2024 · Read the source
The general advertising prohibition
No registrant shall make false, misleading or deceptive statements in any advertisement, circular, pamphlet or material published by any means relating to trading in real estate.
Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2002, S.O. 2002, c. 30, Sched. C, s. 37 · Read the source
The Registrar can order a correction "of equal prominence"
the registrar may, (a) order the cessation of the use of such material; (b) order the registrant to retract the statement or publish a correction of equal prominence to the original publication; or (c) order both
Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2002, s. 38(1) · Read the source
The Code of Ethics duty
In carrying on business, a registrant, (a) shall make best efforts to ensure that any representations are accurate and are not misleading; and (b) shall not engage in or be a party to misrepresentation or any unethical practice.
O. Reg. 365/22 (Code of Ethics), s. 5 · Read the source
How RECO says it reads that standard
regulator guidanceAre all statements factually correct, accurate, and verifiable? You must say what you mean and mean what you say.
RECO Bulletin No. 5.1, Advertising requirements · Issued 17 January 2024 · Read the source
What I couldn't verify
- · Art. 5.01(a) turns entirely on whether an image "accurately depict[s] the listed real estate," and PropTx does not define that phrase. Furnishing an empty room plainly depicts the room; changing the room does not. The middle ground is undefined.
- · Widely repeated but unverified: RECO is quoted in an April 2024 Globe and Mail article as saying enhanced images "should be specified." I could not locate that article or any RECO bulletin saying it. Treat it as press attribution, not published RECO guidance, until confirmed.
- · One live hook worth watching: O. Reg. 567/05 s. 12.1(11)–(13) lets the Registrar publish binding extra advertising requirements. None on photo alteration exists today, but that's the mechanism if RECO ever acts.
These stay listed until they're closed. If you have access to a document above, I'd genuinely like a copy — get in touch.
Ontario questions
Does Ontario require you to disclose virtual staging?
No. This is the most misreported fact in Canadian virtual staging. Ontario has an explicit MLS rule about AI and digital staging — PropTx Article 5.01(a) — but it is a prohibition, not a disclosure requirement. It bans digitally altered or AI-generated images that do not accurately depict the property. Nothing in Ontario, from RECO or PropTx, requires you to add a "virtually staged" label to a photo.
What does PropTx Article 5.01 actually prohibit?
Article 5.01 lists images that may not be submitted to the MLS System. Paragraph (a) covers "digitally altered images including the use of any artificial intelligence (AI) system or technology to create, alter, or enhance images or digital staging that do not accurately depict the listed real estate." The qualifier at the end is the whole rule — digital staging is not banned, digital staging that misrepresents the property is. Paragraph (d) separately bans any persons or digital representations of persons, which catches AI-generated people.
Can you put AI-generated people in an Ontario listing photo?
No. PropTx Article 5.01(d) prohibits "any persons or digital representations of persons" in images submitted to the MLS System. That is a flat ban with no accuracy qualifier attached, so it applies whether the person is real or generated.
Does RECO regulate virtual staging in Ontario?
No. Every RECO advertising bulletin, the Code of Ethics regulation, and TRESA itself were checked, and none mentions virtual staging, digital alteration, retouching, or AI images. RECO's contribution is the general standard: TRESA section 37 prohibits false, misleading or deceptive statements in advertising, and the Code of Ethics requires best efforts to keep representations accurate. The specific image rules come from PropTx, not RECO.
Could RECO add a rule about staged photos?
Yes, and there is a specific mechanism. O. Reg. 567/05 s. 12.1(11)–(13) allows the Registrar to publish binding advertising requirements outside the regulation itself, which registrants must then comply with. No such requirement on photo alteration exists today, but that is the route by which one would appear.
Before you rely on this
This page is information, not legal advice. I'm a licensed REALTOR®, not a lawyer. Every rule below is quoted from a primary source and linked so you can read it yourself — and where a rule doesn't exist, I say so instead of guessing. Rules change, and board MLS rules aren't public, so confirm anything you're relying on with your own board or regulator before you act on it.
Citing this page:
VirtuallyStage, "Virtual Staging Rules in Ontario" (last verified 29 July 2026). Researched by Ali Annabi, Licensed REALTOR®, Ontario. https://www.virtuallystage.com/virtual-staging-laws/ontario