Real Estate Camera
A good virtual staging disclosure is short and unambiguous: "Virtually staged. Furniture and décor are not included." Put that label on or under the staged photo, add a line to the public-facing description, and upload the original, unstaged photo right next to it. Below are copy-and-paste versions for captions, MLS remarks, social posts, flyers and a viewing sign, covering staged and decluttered photos as well as enhanced ones.
Each template relates to a rule we have already checked in our guides on virtual staging MLS rules and California's AB 723. This is not legal advice. Your MLS's current rules and your estate agent come first.
What the wording must cover
Rules vary by board, but the disclosure must cover the same ground in each case.
- Name the edit. Every MLS rule set in our MLS guide requires staged photos to be labelled. CRMLS accepts "virtually staged", "digitally altered" or "digitally enhanced" in the photo description field.
- Place it where buyers are looking. Canopy MLS requires the disclosure to be on the image or in the virtual tour and says captions or remarks alone are not acceptable. California's AB 723 requires the statement "on or adjacent to the image."
- Point to the original. AB 723 requires a link, URL or QR code to a public page showing the unaltered photo. CRMLS and Canopy require the original image to appear immediately before or after the edited photo.
Wisconsin is next. 2025 Wisconsin Act 69, effective from 1 January 2027, says a licensee "shall in all advertising disclose" when it has been altered with technology, including AI, "to add, remove, or change elements of the property that creates a false or misleading impression of the property." Zillow's July 2026 post on AI listing photos says New York and New Jersey also have bills under consideration.
Templates for virtually staged photos
On the image
Two or three words, in a corner that will survive cropping. This is the wording Canopy asks for.
Virtually staged
Photo caption or description field
CRMLS wants the label here. On boards that don't require it, it still costs you nothing.
Virtually staged. Furniture and decor are not included. Unstaged photo follows.
Change "follows" to "precedes" if your board wants the original first. Bay East requires it to appear immediately afterwards. CRMLS accepts either order.
MLS public remarks
This is the wording CVR MLS requires and the placement NC REALTORS® recommends for North Carolina.
Some photos are virtually staged. Furniture and decor shown are not included. Unstaged originals are included in the photo set.
Put it in the first two lines of the remarks, not after the viewing instructions. A disclosure nobody reads is little more than ticking the box.
Instagram or Facebook post
In California the statement has to appear on or next to the image, so I'd put "Virtually staged" on the photo itself and repeat it in the caption with the link. The caption alone may not count as adjacent in a carousel.
Just listed: 3-bed, 2-bath property on Maple Street. The living room and main bedroom are virtually staged, and the furniture isn't included. Unedited photos: [link]
Flyer or printed brochure
No MLS field does this job on paper, and a flyer is classed as promotional material under AB 723. Print this alongside the photo and include a QR code.
Digitally altered image: virtually staged. Scan for the unaltered photos.
Sign at the viewing
No rule we've read requires one. Print it anyway. A buyer who saw a furnished living room online and walks into an empty one should find the explanation taped by the door rather than having to work it out for themselves.
Some online photos of this home were virtually staged. The furniture you saw isn't there and isn't included in the sale. The empty rooms you're walking through are the real ones.
Templates for photos that have been decluttered
Decluttered photos are the easiest to overlook. Removing a seller's furniture is an alteration under AB 723, which refers specifically to furniture. CRMLS's guidance also treats a virtually emptied room as altered. State what was removed so that no-one thinks the room was always bare.
Caption: Digitally altered: furniture and personal items removed. The original photo follows.
Remarks: Some photos have been digitally altered to remove furniture. The originals are included.
If you removed furniture and then virtually staged the same room, state both: "Digitally altered: existing furniture removed and room virtually staged."
Templates for enhanced photos
California's legislation exempts changes to lighting, sharpening, white balance, colour correction, straightening, cropping and exposure if they "do not change the representation of the real property". Under the legislation, a photo that has only been brightened and straightened usually does not need a label.
There are two exceptions. The Bay East MLS rule FAQ lists "AI enhancements" among altered images, which goes beyond the legislation. And if a window appeared completely white in your original photo but the edited image now shows a view, the software has filled in something the camera did not capture. Compare it with what is outside. If your board asks for a label, or if you are unsure, use the following:
Digitally enhanced: colour and exposure corrected, walls straightened. Nothing added or removed.
That final sentence is important. It tells buyers exactly what has changed.
Where each entry belongs
| Edit | Photo caption | On the image | Remarks | Original alongside it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virtually staged | Yes (CRMLS) | Yes (Canopy) | Yes (CVR MLS) | Yes (CA, Canopy) |
| Decluttered | Yes | Where your board requires it | Yes | Yes (CA) |
| Staged after decluttering | Name both edits | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enhanced only | If your board requires it | No | No | Not required under AB 723 |
Wording that causes problems
- "Photos for illustrative purposes only." This is vague. It doesn't say what changed, and buyers can't tell which photos it applies to.
- "AI enhanced" on a staged photo. It understates the changes made. Virtual staging adds furniture, so call it virtual staging.
- Putting the disclaimer on the first photo only. Label every virtually staged or decluttered image. Photos may be shared individually.
- A label buried beneath the viewing instructions and the homeowners' association details. Put it near the top.
- "Staged" on its own. Buyers take that to mean real furniture in the room. Write "virtually staged".
None of this wording excuses an edit that should not have been made. Canopy prohibits adding a pool or fireplace, or removing power lines, and CRMLS forbids changing wall colours, flooring or landscaping. No label makes those edits acceptable.
How Real Estate Camera handles disclosure
Real Estate Camera flags every staged result as "virtually staged" in the app and asks you to confirm disclosure before export. It doesn't print the label on the image, so you should add the wording above yourself: on the image where your board or state requires it, and in the photo caption and remarks everywhere else. The original stays next to the edit in the app, ready to upload alongside it.
Virtual staging costs 2 credits per room. Declutter costs 2 credits, and Enhance costs 1. The app doesn't offer sky replacement or twilight, so those labels never come up.
For the complete rules for each board, read the virtual staging MLS rules guide. For the edits themselves, see removing furniture from photos and which rooms are worth staging. And if Zillow is where most of your buyers look, our Zillow listing photos guide covers what Zillow said in July 2026 about AI-altered photos.
For details of how our app flags staged photos, see virtual staging for estate agents.
Virtually stage a room and paste in the label that suits your board. Start free: 1 credit.
Questions
What should a virtual staging disclosure say?
Keep it short and unambiguous: "Virtually staged. Furniture and décor are not included." Put "Virtually staged" in the photo caption, add a line to the public-facing description, and upload the original, unstaged photo next to the staged photo. In California, the statement also needs a link or QR code to the original images.
Do I need to disclose decluttered photos?
In California, yes. AB 723 identifies removing furniture as an alteration. CRMLS treats a virtually emptied room as altered. Label it "Digitally altered: furniture removed" and show the original.
Do I need to label a photo that was only brightened or straightened?
Not under California's legislation, which excludes changes to lighting, white balance, colour correction, straightening and exposure that do not change how the property is represented. Some MLSs have broader requirements. Bay East treats AI enhancements as alterations, so check your board's rules.
Is a disclaimer at the bottom of the listing description enough?
Not everywhere. CVR MLS accepts a disclosure in the remarks, but Canopy MLS says captions or remarks alone are not acceptable and requires the label on the image. California requires the statement to be on or next to the image itself.
Does Real Estate Camera add the label to the photo?
No. The app flags staged results as virtually staged and asks you to confirm the disclosure when you export. It does not print text on the image. Add the wording yourself using the templates in this guide.
