FAQ
Broker questions about redacting listing photos
What to remove before a set goes live, how privacy and MLS rules usually treat edited photos, and how PropertyBlur handles your files.
During the shoot
What brokers and photographers ask before the first upload.
- What should I redact in a listing photo?
- The usual list is computer and TV screens, visible faces, license plates, personal photographs on walls and shelves, and framed documents such as diplomas, certificates and awards. Anything that names the current occupant, shows their family, or exposes account details on a screen is worth replacing before the set leaves your laptop.
- Is blurring enough, or should the item be replaced?
- A blur tells every viewer that something was hidden, which draws the eye to the exact spot you wanted ignored. PropertyBlur replaces the region with a generic stand-in (a neutral monitor, blank artwork, an anonymous plate, an unbranded document) relit and grain-matched to the room, so the frame reads as a normal photo.
- Can I just reshoot instead of redacting?
- Sometimes, and it is the cleanest option when the seller is present and the item can be moved. Redaction is for what you only notice back at the desk: a monitor that woke up mid-shoot, a plate in the driveway, a wall of family photos you could not take down.
- Does redaction change the resolution of my photos?
- No. Detection runs on a downscaled copy, and the replacement is rendered onto your full resolution frame in the browser. Your download keeps the original dimensions.
- Does this work for walkthrough video?
- Yes. Video minutes are metered separately from photos, and the Basic plan includes 5 minutes alongside 500 images for $5 a month.
Privacy and consent
How occupant and third-party information is handled.
- Whose privacy am I protecting in a listing photo?
- Three groups: the seller or occupant whose belongings and documents are in frame, anyone else who appears in the photo (family, tenants, neighbours, passers-by), and third parties whose data shows up incidentally on a screen, a letter or a prescription label. Only the first group signed your listing agreement, which is why the other two matter.
- Do I need consent from people who appear in my photos?
- Practices vary by jurisdiction and brokerage. The low-risk default most brokers use is simple: do not publish identifiable faces you did not get permission for, and redact them when a reshoot is not practical. Ask your broker of record or counsel what your local rules require.
- What about tenants in an occupied property?
- Tenants usually have not agreed to have their belongings marketed publicly, even when the owner has consented to the listing. Give notice, let them put personal items away, and redact what remains: photographs, documents, screens, mail and medication.
- What happens to my uploads?
- Detection returns coordinates only; the replacement itself is rendered in your browser. Projects you choose to save are stored in a private bucket that only your account can read, and you can delete them from your project history at any time.
Compliance and disclosure
General industry practice, not legal advice.
- Does redacting a photo count as misrepresenting the property?
- Replacing a monitor image or a family portrait does not change any material fact about the property: its condition, size, systems or defects. The line most brokerages draw is that privacy redaction is fine, while removing or concealing a defect, a structure or a boundary feature is not.
- Will my MLS accept redacted photos?
- MLS photo rules generally prohibit edits that misrepresent the property and prohibit people, watermarks or signage in images. Privacy redaction of screens, faces, plates and documents fits inside those rules in most markets, but check your own MLS photo policy, because they differ.
- Should I keep the original files?
- Yes. Keep the untouched originals in your own archive so you can show what was changed and why. The studio's ZIP export includes the original, the redacted version and a regions file listing every replaced area, which gives you an auditable record per shoot.
- Is this legal advice?
- No. This page describes common real estate practice and how PropertyBlur works. Privacy, advertising and MLS obligations vary by state, province and association, so confirm your own requirements with your broker of record or a qualified attorney.
Trying it and billing
Getting from a test frame to a full shoot.
- Can I test it before paying?
- Yes. Every new account gets 3 free tests at full resolution with no card. The public studio demo shows real before and after examples without an account at all.
- What happens if I go over the included allowance?
- Nothing stops mid-shoot. Overage is metered per photo and per video minute at the published rates and shown on your account page before it bills.
- Can I fix a detection the studio got wrong?
- Yes. Every box can be moved, resized, deleted or added by hand, and you can switch replacement style, edge softness and plate lighting per region before you export.
Still deciding what to redact?
Watch a real frame get cleaned up, then run 3 free tests on your own shoot.
PropertyBlur provides privacy tooling, not legal advice. Confirm advertising, privacy and MLS obligations with your broker of record or a qualified attorney in your market.