We all know REALTOR.ca is Canada’s No. 1 real estate website*, but did you know many other major real estate websites in Canada are powered by the REALTOR.ca DDF®, including thousands of Member Feed Websites and National Pool Websites? When it comes to operating those DDF® websites, you have a lot of choice.
You can operate your own website or choose from more than 600 technology providers who have entered into a Data Access Agreement with CREA, so you can choose which technology provider suits you best and offers the type of website you’re looking for.
Whether you operate your DDF® website yourself or use one of the approved technology providers, you can rest assured knowing your listing content is protected. Our Data Access Agreement contains restrictions that protect the listing content from misuse, like stating that all technology providers are prohibited from using the listing content for any reason other than display on a member’s DDF® website. The Data Access Agreement also prohibits technology providers from commercializing the listing content in any way, altering or modifying the listing content, creating a database of historical or statistical information, and from displaying the listing content on any other website—including the technology provider’s own website.
And CREA takes enforcement of these Data Access Agreements seriously. We investigate every complaint we receive and take action as necessary. We also proactively audit technology providers to ensure they’re complying with the Data Access Agreement and to make sure the websites they operate comply with the DDF® Rules.
Here’s another benefit of using a technology provider to operate your DDF® website: you won’t have to worry about making changes to your website to comply with the new display requirement in the DDF® Rules. To further increase consumer confidence as they navigate the internet, all DDF® listing content on National Shared Pool and Member Feed Websites must now display the REALTOR.ca logo and the statement: “This REALTOR.ca listing content is owned and licensed by REALTOR® members of The Canadian Real Estate Association.” We’ll be communicating this new requirement to DDF® technology providers and working with them to make sure they make the required changes to all the websites they operate.
You can find a copy of the updated DDF® Rules here. For additional support you can visit support.crea.ca or contact support@crea.ca.
*ComScore, April 2019
