Organisme d'autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec · last verified 29 July 2026
Virtual staging rules in Quebec
Quebec is the only place in Canada where a regulator has actually written this down. OACIQ names virtual staging directly, and it tells you what to put on the photo. If you list in Quebec, you have a real answer — which is more than the rest of the country can say.
What you're actually bound by
The binding instrument is section 112 of the brokerage regulation, which bans false, misleading or incomplete advertising. OACIQ's advertising guideline is how the regulator says it will read that section, and the guideline is where virtual staging is named. Treat the guideline as the enforcement position, not as a separate law.
The actual text
Quoted verbatim. Anything marked regulator guidance is the regulator's stated interpretation rather than a binding section.
OACIQ names virtual staging as a disclosure trigger
regulator guidanceElle s'applique par exemple lorsque l'IA est utilisée pour : Modifier l'apparence d'un bien sans toucher la structure ou apporter des modifications substantielles (ex. : ajout de mobilier, transformer artificiellement une ambiance saisonnière ou éclairage); Effectuer du « virtual staging » ou des transformations visuelles
OACIQ, Advertising guideline, ref. 264697 · Last updated 17 June 2026 · Read the source
The line you cannot cross
regulator guidanceImages that fundamentally alter the actual appearance of a property violate the regulations and laws in force.
OACIQ, Advertising guideline, ref. 264697 · Last updated 17 June 2026 · Read the source
The tool doesn't take the blame — you do
regulator guidanceReal estate brokers remain responsible for the accuracy and truthfulness of advertisements, even when the ads are produced by AI or any other technological tool.
OACIQ, Advertising guideline, ref. 264697 · Last updated 17 June 2026 · Read the source
The binding provision underneath it
No licence holder or person promoting real estate brokerage services may in any manner make representations or engage in advertising that is false, misleading or incomplete or that leaves out a material fact.
Regulation respecting brokerage requirements…, CQLR c. C-73.2, r. 1, s. 112 · Updated to 1 April 2026 · Read the source
What I couldn't verify
- · The English guideline says wording "such as" that sentence; the French frames it as a minimum requirement. Read it as OACIQ's prescribed minimum, not the only acceptable phrasing.
- · The prescribed sentence is written around AI-generated images. Whether manual (non-AI) staging must carry that exact sentence is not resolved on the page.
- · Centris / APCIQ board rules on photos are not published publicly.
These stay listed until they're closed. If you have access to a document above, I'd genuinely like a copy — get in touch.
Quebec questions
Does Quebec require you to disclose virtual staging?
Yes. OACIQ's advertising guideline expressly lists virtual staging and the addition of furniture as triggers for a disclosure statement, and it prescribes a minimum wording: "Image generated by artificial intelligence." Quebec is the only Canadian jurisdiction where a regulator has both named the practice and told brokers what to write.
Does the disclosure apply if I stage manually instead of with AI?
This is genuinely unresolved. OACIQ's guideline extends the disclosure trigger to "virtual staging" and visual transformations generally, but the wording it prescribes references artificial intelligence specifically. The guideline does not say what a broker should write for a manually edited image. Until OACIQ clarifies, disclosing plainly that the image was digitally staged is the conservative reading.
What happens if a Quebec broker doesn't disclose?
The guideline is OACIQ's stated interpretation of section 112 of the brokerage regulation, which prohibits advertising that is false, misleading or incomplete. Section 112 is the binding provision — the guideline is how the regulator says it will apply it. OACIQ also states that brokers remain responsible for accuracy even when an ad was produced by AI, so pointing at the tool is not a defence.
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 Quebec" (last verified 29 July 2026). Researched by Ali Annabi, Licensed REALTOR®, Ontario. https://www.virtuallystage.com/virtual-staging-laws/quebec