MLS Compliance

How MLS compliance works in Reel Estate

The compliance toggle, state-specific watermarks, and disclosure overlays.

2 min read

Most listing videos don't need to be MLS-compliant. Instagram reels, your website, and YouTube uploads all run fine without it. But if you're posting the video as part of an MLS listing, the platform may require specific rules for overlays and video content. Reel Estate's MLS compliance mode handles this for you.

When you need MLS compliance

You need it when:

  • You're attaching the video to an MLS listing record
  • You want an MLS compatible URL for the video

You don't need it for:

  • Social media posts (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook)
  • Email blasts to clients
  • Your own brokerage website
  • Open house presentations

When in doubt, check with your broker or your MLS's media policy.

How the compliance toggle works

In the Generate Video modal, the MLS Compliance section shows one of three states:

  • MLS-Ready (green): the video qualifies for MLS-compliant export. Tick the attestation box to enable the compliance overlay and generate the video.
  • Upgrade Required (amber): the video would qualify, but MLS-compliant exports are only available on paid plans. Upgrade in Billing.
  • Not MLS-Ready (amber): the video has elements that disqualify it from compliance. Click "1 issue found" to see what to remove. Most commonly: user-added text, watermark, audio, or shape overlays.

You can render the video both ways. Once with compliance for the MLS, once without for social. Each render costs the same; the lack of overlay elements is the only visual difference.

Compliance and AI staging

Some MLS jurisdictions disallow AI-staged photos entirely; others require them to be labeled as such. Reel Estate's compliance check flags this automatically:

  1. If your project includes AI-staged images
  2. AND your project's listing address is in a region that disallows AI staging
  3. The compliance status will show Not MLS-Ready with the staged images called out

To resolve: revert the AI staging on the affected images, or post the video to a non-MLS surface.

Cost

Compliance doesn't change the credit cost. A 12-second 1080p video is 12 credits whether MLS-compliant or not.

Common questions

Does compliance take longer to render? No. Compliance overlay is applied during render, no extra time.