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Virtual Staging in South Australia

Compliance guide for real estate professionals

Allowed with Disclosure

South Australia is regulated by Consumer and Business Services (CBS) under the Land Agents Act 1994. Virtual staging must not mislead buyers about property condition.

⚠️Potential Penalties in South Australia

ACL penalties apply. CBS can take action for misleading conduct including fines and license sanctions.

How to Stay Compliant

Integrate disclosure with your Form 1 process

South Australia's Form 1 (Vendor's Statement) is a cornerstone of property transactions. While virtual staging disclosure isn't mandated in Form 1, including a note that marketing images have been enhanced creates a documented disclosure record tied to the transaction.

Tip: Add a supplementary note to Form 1 attachments listing which marketing images were virtually staged.

Ensure consistency across all marketing channels

Disclosure must appear everywhere the staged images are used: REA, Domain, your agency website, social media, print materials, and window displays. CBS takes a holistic view of marketing conduct—inconsistent disclosure across channels could be problematic.

Tip: Create a disclosure checklist for each listing covering all platforms where images will appear.

Be conservative with heritage and character properties

Adelaide has significant heritage housing stock. When staging character homes, be especially careful not to alter period features, remove heritage elements, or misrepresent the style of original fixtures. Buyers of character homes are often highly attuned to authenticity.

Tip: For heritage properties, consider staging with furniture that complements the era rather than ultra-modern pieces that could misrepresent the property's character.

Respond promptly to disclosure requests

When buyers request original photographs, provide them quickly. Under SA consumer protection law, delays or reluctance to provide unstaged images could be viewed as attempting to conceal the property's true condition.

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Disclosure Templates

— Copy-ready for Australia

Property Listing

"Images have been virtually staged to illustrate the property's potential. Furniture and décor shown are digitally rendered and are not included with the property. Please refer to the original photographs for an accurate representation of the property's current condition."

Social Media

"This property features virtual staging to help you visualise its potential. The furniture shown is digitally added and not physically present. Book a viewing to see the actual space. #VirtualStaging #PropertyMarketing"

Property Website

"This listing includes virtually staged photographs. Digital furniture and décor have been added to help you visualise the space. These items are not present in the physical property. Unstaged photographs are available upon request."

Image Watermark

"VIRTUALLY STAGED – Furniture shown is digitally rendered"

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Sources & References

→Land Agents Act 1994

→Consumer and Business Services SA

→Australian Consumer Law (ACL)

Primary: Consumer and Business Services SA, Land Agents Act 1994 · Visit →

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