OneKey MLS has rejected Compass’s demands to change its rules governing publicly marketed listings, becoming the latest multiple listing service to push back against the brokerage giant’s campaign to loosen restrictions on private listings.
Richard Haggerty
The New York-based MLS, which serves Long Island, the Hudson Valley and New York City, announced Tuesday that it would stand by its rules requiring publicly marketed listings to be shared through the MLS, arguing that Compass’s proposed changes would undermine competition and limit consumer access to homes for sale.
“A truly competitive real estate marketplace relies on shared, cooperative infrastructure, not fragmented, private networks,” OneKey MLS CEO Richard Haggerty said in the news release. “Withholding inventory from the open marketplace comes at the direct expense of consumers by restricting buyer access and potentially limiting a seller’s return on their investment.”
OneKey’s rejection follows similar moves in recent weeks by California Regional MLS and Texas-based Unlock MLS, which rejected Compass’s demands on Sept. 30 and Oct. 6, respectively.
The dispute is part of an escalating battle between Compass and MLS organizations over listing rules, data sharing and competition. In September, Compass demanded that MLSs restrict the use of its data by third-party agent recruiting platforms, including Courted, BrokerMetrics and Brokerkit.
Compass CEO Robert Reffkin also faced pushback from MLS executives during a tense session at the Council of MLS Open House conference on Sept. 30, where he warned that the brokerage would begin filing antitrust lawsuits against MLSs that penalize agents for publicly marketing properties without submitting them to the MLS.
That warning has since materialized into competing lawsuits between Compass and CRMLS. CRMLS filed a federal suit against Compass on Oct. 5, seeking a ruling upholding its listing rules, while Compass filed its own antitrust lawsuit against CRMLS on Oct. 16.
OneKey, however, argued in its announcement this week that allowing brokerages to publicly advertise listings while withholding them from the shared MLS database would give individual firms an unfair advantage. The MLS also raised concerns about fair housing, citing research suggesting that private listing networks can restrict access to housing opportunities and reduce competition among buyers.
“Consumers deserve the freedom to work with the professional they trust without being limited to one company’s private inventory,” Haggerty said.
