Common listing rules and breaches

To ensure a professional and consistent experience for buyers, major portals like Realestate.com.au (REA) have strict Acceptable Use Policies. As a subscriber to their platform, PropertyNow must ensure all listings adhere to these rules. Our team manually reviews every listing before it goes live. If your listing breaches a policy, we cannot publish it until it is corrected. If a breach is somehow missed and later spotted by REA, they may remove your listing immediately without refund.

To ensure your listing remains active and visible, please review the common compliance pitfalls below.

The "Golden Rule": No Private Contact Details

The most fundamental rule of Realestate.com.au is that advertisements must only refer potential buyers to the licensed agency hosting the ad (PropertyNow).

You cannot include:

• Your personal name, phone number, or email address in the listing description.
• Phrases like "Private Sale," "Contact Owner directly," or "No Agents."

All enquiries must go through the provided PropertyNow channels (our 1300 number or the email enquiry button) to remain compliant.

Common Image Breaches

Photos are the most common reason listings get flagged. REA requires high-quality images focused solely on the property.

What is NOT allowed in photos:

• Text or Overlays: You cannot add text, phone numbers, URLs, or watermarks over your photos.
• Collages: Multiple images combined into one single file are not permitted.
• Signboards: A photo where a "For Sale" signboard is more prominent than the actual house or land is considered advertising and is a breach.
• Lifestyle Images as "Main": Your primary photo must be of the property itself (e.g., front facade, kitchen). You cannot use a photo of a nearby beach, park, or cafe as the main hero image.

Text, Description & Status Breaches

The listing text must describe the physical property accurately and professionally.

What is NOT allowed in text:

• Misleading Statuses: Do not write "Under Contract," "Sold," or "Leased" in the listing headline or description. You must use the official 'Update Status' tool in your dashboard, which pushes the correct tag to the portals.
• Misused Fields: Do not put text (like "Make an Offer") in fields designed for numbers (like price or land size).

General Policy Rules

• One Property Per Listing: You cannot use a single advertisement to market multiple distinct properties (e.g., "Unit 1 and Unit 2 available"). Each legal property address requires its own paid listing.
• Rental Accuracy: Rental listings must be marked as "Leased" and removed from the market immediately once they are no longer available.

What happens if my listing is in breach?

If our team flags an element of your listing that does not comply, we will notify you via email specifying exactly what needs to be changed.

1. Log in to your PropertyNow Dashboard.
2. Edit your listing to remove the non-compliant text or photo.
3. Save your changes.
4. Reply to our email to let us know it's done.

We will re-check the listing and push it live once it meets platform standards.

Want to read the full policy? You can review the completeRealestate.com.au Acceptable Use Policy here.

Updated on: 25/02/2026