Listing Photos
Synonyms: Property Photos، Real Estate Photography، Listing Images
Last updated: 2026-09-25
Short Definition
Listing photos are the still photographs of a property published with its ad on property platforms, social media and print, and are often the first thing a viewer judges the property by.
Overview
Legal Basis
Several texts govern listing photos. Articles 6 and 7 of the Regulation on Real Estate Marketing and Advertising (1 May 2026) require the marketed property to be identified accurately and prohibit content that contradicts reality or suggests something inconsistent with the property's nature, and Article 10 of the Real Estate Brokerage Law (M/130) prohibits any misleading information about the property. The Copyright Law (M/41 dated 2/7/1424H) protects photographic works (Art. 2), sets the protection term for photographs at 25 years from publication (Art. 19), and treats publishing a work without its author's written permission or contract as infringement (Art. 21). Article 3 of the Anti-Cyber Crime Law (M/17 dated 8/3/1428H) punishes invasion of private life through misuse of camera-equipped phones or similar devices with up to one year's imprisonment and/or a fine of up to SAR 500,000.
Practical Example
An office in Riyadh markets an occupied flat for rent at SAR 55,000 a year. It schedules the shoot with the current tenant's consent and asks for family photos and documents to be removed from surfaces. It hires a photographer for SAR 1,500 under a written contract granting the office the right to use the photos in the ad for this property. The photographer takes 20 photos in natural light; editing is limited to brightness and contrast, with no removal of cracks or changes to the view, and the floor plan is attached. When an employee suggests using photos of the identical flat upstairs because they are "nicer", the manager refuses, because the ad must show the actual advertised property. The photos are published with the ad licence on a licensed platform and removed as soon as the flat is let.
Common Mistakes
- ✗Using photos of another unit or project marketing renders as if they were the unit on offer — prohibited misleading content.
- ✗Digital editing that hides defects, enlarges spaces or changes the view.
- ✗Copying photos from a competitor's listing or the internet — copyright infringement.
- ✗Photographing an occupied unit without the occupant's consent, or with family photos, documents or faces visible — an invasion of privacy.
- ✗Using old photos that no longer reflect the property's current condition after changes or damage.
International Differences
Many markets share the principle that listing photos must not mislead: in the UK, for example, photos edited to hide material defects can be a misleading practice under consumer-protection rules, and in the US, multiple listing service (MLS) rules set limits on altered photos. Copyright in photographs is protected worldwide under the Berne Convention, although protection terms vary by country; in Saudi Arabia the term for photographs is 25 years from publication.
