Virtual staging rules / Canada / New Brunswick
Checked September 2, 2026 · FCNB

Virtual staging rules in New Brunswick

Yes. New Brunswick has no rule that names virtual staging, and the provincial MLS® rules are not published. The Real Estate Agents Act bans false, misleading or deceptive statements in any advertisement and bans leaving out a fact that is needed to make a statement not misleading, so a staged photo has to say it is staged.

New Brunswick is bilingual; the Act says the same thing in French, and a French remarks line is worth carrying.

Regulator: Financial and Consumer Services Commission (FCNB)  ·  Association: New Brunswick Real Estate Association (NBREA)  ·  MLS / boards: New Brunswick REALTORS® du Nouveau-Brunswick (NB MLS®)
Governing text: Real Estate Agents Act, R.S.N.B. 2011, c. 215, ss. 43.11(1), 43.61

Stage a listing — free See what we catch

What the rule says

Quoted as written, with the source and the day we read it.

“No licensee shall make any false, misleading or deceptive statements in any advertisement, circular, pamphlet or similar material prepared or used in respect of a regulated activity.”

Real Estate Agents Act, R.S.N.B. 2011, c. 215, s. 43.11(1) — Government of New Brunswick · read September 2, 2026

“In carrying on a regulated activity, no person shall make a statement that the person knows or reasonably ought to know is misleading or untrue or does not state a fact that is required to be stated or that is necessary to make the statement not misleading.”

Real Estate Agents Act, s. 43.61 — Government of New Brunswick · read September 2, 2026

“Aucun titulaire de permis ne peut faire de déclaration fausse, trompeuse ou mensongère dans une annonce publicitaire […] relative à une activité réglementée.”

Loi sur les agents immobiliers, ch. 215, art. 43.11(1) — Gouvernement du Nouveau-Brunswick · read September 2, 2026

Searched on September 2, 2026: fcnb.ca (real estate agents page, Consumer Affairs Bulletin 2023-003, enforcement pages), nbrea.ca (legislation and code of ethics pages), nbrealestateboard.com, and laws.gnb.ca in both languages. No text names virtual staging, altered photos or AI images; the NB MLS® Rules and Regulations are not public.

At a glance

The four things a listing has to get right.

Disclosure to buyersGeneral rule appliesNot named. Section 43.61 makes silence about a fact needed to avoid misleading a breach, which is what an undisclosed staged photo is. Source
Label on the imageNo specific rule foundNo provincial or MLS® rule found. A label on the image is the simplest way to meet s. 43.11(1) wherever the photo travels.
Unaltered originalNo specific rule foundNo rule found.
Off-limits alterationsGeneral rule appliesNo itemised list. Any edit that makes the ad false, misleading or deceptive breaches s. 43.11(1); the REALTOR® Code, which NBREA enforces, bans misleading anyone about a property. Source

A remarks line you can paste

Plain words, consistent with the rule above. Sedam Staging writes the same line into the disclosure file that ships with every listing.

Some photos are virtually staged; the furniture shown is digital and not included, and unedited photos are available on request.

En français :

Certaines photos ont été mises en valeur virtuellement; les meubles montrés sont numériques et non inclus. Les photos originales non retouchées sont disponibles sur demande.

The rule, handled by default

Sedam Staging burns the “Virtually staged” label into every listing image, ships the untouched original beside it, compares every render against the photograph so walls, windows, floors and built-ins never move, and writes the remarks line into the download. See the renders we refused →

Stage a listing — free

Questions

Is there a New Brunswick MLS® rule on photos?

If there is, it is not published. New Brunswick REALTORS® runs one provincial MLS® since 2024 and takes rule complaints by email, but its rules and regulations are not on its site. The Act's ban on misleading advertising is the operative text.

Should the remarks line be in French too?

It is wise. The Act is bilingual and so is the market. The French line above says the same thing as the English one.

Every province in Canada

The same four questions, answered from each regulator's own text. The national layer for Canada →

In your city

Listing across the border? The rules in the United States, state by state.

How this page was made. Each quotation was read at the linked source on September 2, 2026; our confidence that it is current and complete is medium (high on the statute, read on laws.gnb.ca in both languages; low on MLS® practice, because the rulebook is not public). Rules change and boards add policies; the linked documents are the authority, and this is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. Spotted a change? Tell us and we will fix the page.