PEI Real Estate Association, and the Registrar under the Real Estate Trading Act · last verified 29 July 2026
Virtual staging rules in Prince Edward Island
PEI is the one that caught me out, in both directions. The provincial statute is genuinely empty — the Real Estate Trading Act does not contain the word "misleading," or "deceptive," or "misrepresent," and its only advertising provision just says you must identify yourself as the agent. So I had PEI down as having no rule at all. Then I found the board rule, and PEIREA has one of the clearest in the country: disclose virtual staging in the public remarks, and virtually enhanced images are flatly banned. If you list on PEI, the obligation is real — it just doesn’t come from the province.
What you're actually bound by
The board rule, not the statute. PEIREA Rules & Regulations s. 16(8) requires the disclosure in the public remarks, and s. 16(9) prohibits virtually enhanced images outright. The Real Estate Trading Act adds nothing on advertising accuracy — it has no false-advertising provision — so the federal Competition Act is your only statutory backstop.
The actual text
Quoted verbatim. Anything marked regulator guidance is the regulator's stated interpretation rather than a binding section.
Disclosure is required, in the public remarks
Virtual staging is adding chattels to give perspective on room dimensions. When using Virtually Staged property images, images of a show home or show suite, or artist's renderings, the Listing Brokerage must disclose this fact in the public remarks on the Board's MLS® System.
PEIREA Rules & Regulations, s. 16 (Trading Regulations), para. 8 · 24 November 2023 · Read the source
Altering the property itself is banned
Virtual enhancing refers to changing, removing, adding, or augmenting features that would interfere with property value (ex: removing walls, adding landscaping, adding garage). Virtually Enhanced images, or any photos that may misrepresent the property, are not permitted on the Board's MLS® System
PEIREA Rules & Regulations, s. 16 (Trading Regulations), para. 9 · 24 November 2023 · Read the source
Digital alteration is allowed — until it stops being accurate
Images may be digitally altered, including digital staging, provided the Images are not modified or altered in a manner that results in the Images inaccurately portraying the property (e.g., adding sun where there is no window)
PEIREA Rules & Regulations, s. 16 (Trading Regulations), para. 7 · 24 November 2023 · Read the source
The statute's only advertising provision — identification, nothing more
Every agent shall, when advertising to purchase, sell, exchange or lease real estate, clearly indicate his own name as that of the party advertising and that he is an agent, and any reference to the name of a salesman in the advertisement shall clearly indicate the agent as being the employer of the salesman.
Real Estate Trading Act (PEI), CHAPTER R-2, s. 36 · Updated to 30 March 2026 · Read the source
What I couldn't verify
- · PEIREA's rule text is reachable through a members-subdomain news post rather than a published rulebook, so the paragraph numbering may shift if the rules are reconsolidated. Ask PEIREA for the current s. 16 if you need to rely on it.
- · PEIREA does not prescribe wording — only that the fact be disclosed in the public remarks.
- · Whether the Business Practices Act reaches realtor advertising is untested in PEI. Its "goods" definition excludes real property. No PEI decision or Registrar guidance applies it to listing advertising.
These stay listed until they're closed. If you have access to a document above, I'd genuinely like a copy — get in touch.
Prince Edward Island questions
Do you have to disclose virtual staging in PEI?
Yes — but from the board, not the province. PEIREA Rules & Regulations s. 16(8) requires the listing brokerage to disclose virtually staged images in the public remarks on the MLS® System, and s. 16(9) prohibits "virtually enhanced" images outright. No wording is prescribed. The provincial statute imposes nothing: PEI's Real Estate Trading Act does not contain the word "misleading," "deceptive," or "misrepresent" anywhere.
What is the difference between virtually staged and virtually enhanced in PEI?
PEIREA actually defines both, which makes it clearer than Alberta's version of the same rule. Virtual staging is "adding chattels to give perspective on room dimensions" — permitted, with disclosure. Virtual enhancing is "changing, removing, adding, or augmenting features that would interfere with property value," and the rule gives examples: removing walls, adding landscaping, adding a garage. That is prohibited entirely.
Does the Business Practices Act cover realtor advertising in PEI?
Arguably, but it is untested. The Act prohibits unfair practices including false or misleading consumer representations — however its definition of "goods" expressly excludes real property, and its "services" definition may or may not capture a realtor's services in respect of real property. No PEI decision or Registrar guidance applies it to listing advertising. Treat it as a plausible route, not the rule.
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 Prince Edward Island" (last verified 29 July 2026). Researched by Ali Annabi, Licensed REALTOR®, Ontario. https://www.virtuallystage.com/virtual-staging-laws/prince-edward-island