For years, one of the biggest frustrations for homeowners has been the lack of control over their property’s online presence. Once a house is sold, interior photos—showing everything from the primary bedroom to the home’s security layout—often remain searchable on the internet indefinitely.
Starting February 17, 2026, a new policy is finally putting the curtains back up. The Pacific Southwest Association of REALTORS® (PSAR) is proud to announce a technical solution that will automatically remove interior photos from public search sites once a property sale is finalized.
The power of our partnership with CRMLS
This significant shift in privacy is made possible by CRMLS, the nation’s largest and most recognized MLS. By updating their rules and infrastructure, CRMLS has paved the way for this automated solution. This change ensures that the data being shared with public-facing websites remains relevant to active listings, rather than becoming a permanent archive of a private residence.
As a PSAR member, you and your homeowners benefit directly from the industry-leading standards and technical innovation that CRMLS brings to the San Diego market.
The problem: private homes, publicly searchable
Most homeowners assume that when they buy a house, the marketing photos disappear. However, due to how data is shared through IDX (Internet Data Exchange), those photos often stay live on thousands of real estate websites long after the new owners move in.
For residents, this is a legitimate security and privacy concern:
- Home security: Interior photos can act as a blueprint for bad actors, identifying entry points and the location of valuables.
- Family privacy: Families are often uncomfortable knowing anyone can virtually walk through their private living spaces via an old listing.
- Online fraud: Scammers frequently use these persistent photos to create fake rental listings, leading to strangers showing up at a homeowner’s door.
A new standard for San Diego
"We believe that once a house is sold, it stops being a listing and starts being a home," says Claudia Zaker, President of the Pacific Southwest Association of REALTORS®.
Through the leadership of CRMLS and our local partnership, homeowners will now have their privacy protected automatically. Starting in the first quarter of 2026, the data feed used by PSAR members will remove photos as soon as a sale closes.
The result: Every interior photo will be scrubbed from the public data feed. Only the primary exterior shot will remain on record to ensure there is a "front door" photo for historical property records and appraisals, while keeping the inside of the home private.
What this means for PSAR members
This is a first-of-its-kind feature for San Diego, moving the responsibility of data privacy from the homeowner to the professionals. By being a REALTOR® with PSAR, you provide your homeowners with:
- Automated privacy: They no longer have to spend hours requesting various websites to remove photos of bedrooms or living areas.
- Increased security: A home's private layout is no longer a public map.
- Digital closure: Once the sale is over, the public tour officially ends.
"PSAR and CRMLS are taking the lead in San Diego to ensure private data stays private," says Zaker. "We are proud to bring this level of digital protection to our community."
Background and technical rule change
For those interested in the specific regulatory language, Rule 19.2.4 - Display Content (IDX) has been revised. While the rule is now official, it will not be enforced until CRMLS completes the technological project of removing non-primary photos from the IDX payload and notifying all IDX vendors of these changes.
The revised rule now states:
Display Content. Participants and Subscribers shall not display confidential information fields, as determined by the MLS in the MLS’s sole discretion, such as that information intended for Buyer Brokers rather than consumers. Participants and Subscribers shall not display any photo or media other than the Primary Photo for any CRMLS Listing Record in a status of Closed/Leased, Expired, or Canceled.