Two hot button topics in the world of real estate recently intersected in British Columbia’s Small Claims court, as the Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) made its decision on a case where the use of virtual staging and edited photos in real estate listings came into conflict with BC’s Home Buyer Rescission Period Regulation (HBRPR).

The case was centered around a buyer named Braden Messenger and a seller named Mary Jonina Margaret Bell, who entered into a contract of purchase and sale (CPS) on May 18, 2023 for the purchase price of $490,000. Both parties do not dispute that Messenger did not view the property in-person before entering into the agreement.