Data protection and listings: what's changing for real estate groups

Following recent audits across the sector, several real estate groups had to urgently rethink how they retain client data. The good news: getting compliant is simpler than it looks.

What’s actually required

It’s not about deleting everything after six months. It’s about knowing exactly where data is stored, who can access it, and being able to justify a reasonable retention period for each type of file.

The minimum checklist for a group

1. Centralize seller and buyer files in a single tool, not scattered across shared files

2. Set a retention period for each type of document, especially expired listings

3. Restrict access to archived files to people who genuinely need it

4. Keep a record of every export or data share with a third party

Data protection compliance isn’t a separate project. It’s a direct consequence of how you organize your files day to day.

Groups that already centralize their listings in a shared tool have, in practice, done most of the work already. The rest mostly comes down to discipline in archiving.