Should you use AI to edit your listing photos?

A recent report in the Daily Mail revealed that a lot of estate and letting agents are already doing exactly that.

Examples range from brightening lighting and staging rooms with AI-generated furniture, to cutting neighbouring properties out of views of the garden.

In many cases, the results of AI photo editing are nothing new. Virtual staging solutions have been around for longer than AI, and can help viewers see what a space will look like when it’s lived in. Agents have also been manually adding blue skies to outdoor pictures for a long time to show the home in its best light even when the weather doesn’t cooperate.

However, some edits could land agents in legal trouble. Certain fixed elements of a property are covered by Material Information guidance, including accessibility features like drop kerbs and wet rooms.  

The Competition and Markets Authority, which now oversees industry regulation, hasn’t shared specific guidance on AI photo editing, but estate agents also have a wider duty not to put out misleading advertising.  

Best practices

AI can be a huge time saver when editing listing photos, but it’s important to use common sense.

According to Nathan Emerson, CEO at Propertymark, “There are defined lines between demonstrating the potential of a property versus misrepresenting details, as well as artificially enhancing imagery to the point that it isn’t authentic, and omitting key details that people need to make an accurate decision as to whether they want to purchase or rent the property in question.”

That line could move depending on the property being advertised. Adding AI furniture to a sales listing should typically be fine, as furniture isn’t usually included in the sale. Adding it to a listing for a furnished rental, however, may mislead viewers.

It’s also important to check the output of the AI before using it. Some of the examples shown by the Daily Mail included disembodied floating walls, curtains without curtain rails, and AI-generated blue skies where ceilings should be.

Some agencies have begun stating when pictures have been enhanced with AI and including edited and unedited photos, helping consumers understand what the property currently looks like as well as its potential.