RECO advertising checker
Paste a listing post, a sold announcement or a bio. Get back what to check against RECO bulletins 5.1 to 5.4, with the bulletin number on every line. Runs entirely in your browser - the text never leaves this page.
Your advertisement
What to check
This tool never tells you an advertisement is compliant, because it cannot see your consents, your substantiation or your registration record. It returns things to check, each against a numbered bulletin. Rules read from 5.1, 5.2, 5.3 and 5.4 on September 19, 2026; RECO revises them, and RECO governs. Not legal advice. Nothing you type is sent anywhere - the check runs in your browser.
Whose consent a sold post needs, and when it flips
| The post says | Before closing | After closing |
|---|---|---|
| Sold, no price or terms | Seller | Buyer |
| Sold, with price or terms | Both parties | Both parties |
It flips because after closing the buyer is the owner. The same table applies whether you were on the listing side or the buying side. Written consent, and it has to state the date it takes effect and the date it expires. And if the advertisement can reasonably be used to identify a specific property at all, the owner's written consent is required whether or not you mention price.
The long version, with what RECO does about it: our guide to the RECO advertising rules.
Questions about the checker
Does this tell me my advertisement is compliant?
No, and it never will. It cannot see your written consents, the substantiation behind a claim, or how your name and brokerage are actually registered. What it does is read the words and tell you what to check, citing the bulletin for each one. Treat a clean result as "nothing wrong in the text", not as approval.
Does my advertisement text get sent anywhere?
No. The whole check runs in your browser in JavaScript - there is no server call, no account, and nothing is stored. You can put a draft in it before your brokerage has seen it.
Whose consent does a sold post need?
It depends on closing, and it flips. Before closing the seller consents; after closing the buyer does, because by then the buyer is the owner. If the post mentions price or terms, both parties consent either way. The consent has to be written and state the date it takes effect and the date it expires.
Why did it flag REALTOR when I am a CREA member?
Most likely the ® is missing. REALTOR® is a trademark and the permitted term in bulletin 5.2 includes the symbol; written without it, it is not the permitted term. The membership question is separate and the tool checks both.
Why is "free home evaluation" flagged?
Bulletin 5.1 requires any promise or offer to state its conditions and limitations. Free evaluations usually have some - a geographic area, an expectation of a listing conversation - and the flag is a prompt to say so, not a statement that the offer is improper.
Does it cover social media?
The text checks apply the same way, because bulletin 5.3 says advertising requirements apply online exactly as they do anywhere else. What it cannot see is your profile: identification of you and your brokerage has to be readily visible or accessible there too, and a caption alone does not carry it.
What is it not checking?
Anything outside the words: whether the consents exist, whether a claim can be substantiated, whether the names match the public register, what your profile or your website footer says, and whether images identify a property or a person. It also does not judge whether a statement is misleading, which is a judgment call and not a rule.
Where do the rules come from?
RECO bulletins 5.1 (advertising requirements), 5.2 (permitted terms), 5.3 (advertising online) and 5.4 (advertising sold property), read on September 19, 2026. Bulletins explain duties under TRESA rather than creating them, and RECO revises them, so RECO is the version that governs.