Stop AI-Generated Property Photos Misrepresenting Australian Homes

Opening Statement

We call on Australian governments, property regulators and the real estate industry to introduce clear rules preventing AI-generated and materially AI-altered images from being used to misrepresent residential properties in real estate advertising.

When Australians search for a home to rent or buy, they should be able to trust that the photos in a property listing accurately represent the property they are being invited to inspect.

AI technology can now create highly realistic images that change the appearance, size, layout, condition, landscaping, furniture or features of a property. While technology has legitimate uses in real estate, consumers should not have to determine whether an image is real, digitally altered or entirely AI-generated.

A property listing should show people what they are actually being offered — not what an algorithm thinks it could look like.

We are calling for:

1. A ban on misleading AI-generated property images

Real estate listings should not be permitted to use AI-generated images that create a false or materially misleading impression of a property’s actual appearance, condition, size, layout or features.

2. Mandatory disclosure of digitally altered images

Where AI or other digital technology has materially altered an image, the listing should clearly disclose this to prospective buyers and renters.

3. Genuine property photographs as the standard

The primary photographs used to advertise a property should be genuine photographs of the property as it currently exists.

4. Clear labelling of virtual staging

AI-generated or digitally staged furniture, decorations, landscaping or other alterations should only be permitted where they are clearly labelled as virtually staged and an unedited photograph of the actual space is also provided.

5. Protection against misleading advertising

Real estate advertising rules should explicitly address AI-generated and AI-altered imagery so that consumers have clear protections when property advertising does not accurately represent the property being offered.

6. Accountability for property advertising

Real estate agents, agencies and property owners should remain responsible for ensuring that images used in their listings are accurate and not misleading, regardless of whether the images were created or altered using AI or another technology.

Why this matters

For many Australians, searching for a home is already stressful, expensive and time-consuming.

Renters and buyers may spend hours searching online, arranging inspections, taking time off work, travelling to properties and paying application or moving costs based on what they have seen in a listing.

If an image has been generated or significantly altered by AI, a property can appear:

larger or more spacious than it really is;
brighter or more modern than it really is;
cleaner or better maintained than it really is;
to have different furniture or room layouts;
to have landscaping or outdoor features that do not exist;
to have renovations or finishes that are not actually present.
This creates an unnecessary information imbalance between the person advertising the property and the person trying to make an informed decision.

Consumers should not need to be experts in detecting AI-generated images just to know what a home actually looks like.

This is not a petition against artificial intelligence.

AI can be useful in the property industry, including for marketing, design concepts and clearly disclosed virtual staging.

The issue is transparency.

If an image is digitally created or materially altered, people should be told. If a property is being advertised for rent or sale, the photographs should accurately represent the property they will actually inspect.

Our request

We ask Australian governments and relevant property regulators to work with the real estate industry and consumer advocates to establish clear, enforceable standards for AI-generated and digitally altered property images.

Australians deserve to know that the home they see online is the home they are actually being offered.

Please sign this petition if you believe property advertising should show reality — not an AI-generated version of it.