2026 compliance guide for real estate professionals • Reviewed September 10, 2026
Western Australia is governed by the Real Estate and Business Agents Act 1978 and the 2016 Code of Conduct. Consumer Protection regulates the industry. REIWA membership guidance is separate from legislation.
State licensing and ACL remedies depend on the contravention. Qualifying ACL penalty provisions can carry the current national maximums, but no automatic virtual-staging penalty applies.
WA Consumer Protection states that false or misleading property claims, including photographs, are illegal. Check any additional REIWA membership or portal requirements; no universal WA virtual-staging watermark wording was identified.
The 2016 Code of Conduct requires agents to not engage in misleading conduct. As a transparency practice, mark each staged image with a watermark or caption stating 'Virtually Staged' or 'Digitally Enhanced Photograph'.
Keep records of all original photographs, staged versions, and evidence of where and when disclosures were made. Consumer Protection, within the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety (LGIRS), can investigate complaints, and the records help explain what was changed and disclosed.
Your disclosure obligations don't end at the listing. If buyers attending inspections comment on furniture they've seen in photos, confirm that images were virtually staged. Consider having a printed notice at open homes.
WA's property market often sees interstate and international buyers who may not attend inspections before making offers. For these buyers, accurate visual representation is especially important—ensure your staged images clearly convey what is and isn't included with the property.
Describe the edits accurately and replace every bracketed placeholder. Check the required wording, image placement, MLS fields, and original-photo access described above. Use custom image labels only where permitted. A template does not authorise an otherwise prohibited or misleading alteration.
“The identified images have been digitally altered with virtual furniture and décor. These items are not physically present. View the corresponding original, unaltered photographs at: [PUBLIC ORIGINAL-IMAGE LINK].”
“Digitally altered / virtually staged image. The furniture and décor shown were digitally added and are not physically present. View the original, unaltered image: [PUBLIC ORIGINAL-IMAGE LINK].”
“This photograph has been digitally altered with virtual furniture and décor. These items are not physically present. Compare the clearly identified original, unaltered image shown alongside it or at: [PUBLIC ORIGINAL-IMAGE LINK].”
“DIGITALLY ALTERED / VIRTUALLY STAGED – Original image: [PUBLIC URL OR QR CODE]”
Guide reviewed September 10, 2026. Links below include legislation, regulator guidance, and board or MLS materials. Their scope differs: a board rule is not statewide law, and a regulator homepage is not proof that no other rules exist. This guide does not verify every local MLS policy. Confirm the current requirements before publishing.
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