Beginning June 19, Douglas Elliman agents may have their rental listings wiped from the StreetEasy platform and their access to the Zillow-owned real estate portal severed.
StreetEasy and Douglas Elliman are locked in an ongoing contract dispute, a spokesperson for StreetEasty confirmed to Inman Friday in a statement. The dispute was first reported by The Real Deal.
“StreetEasy values relationships with all our partners, who are critical to achieving our shared goal of helping NYC buyers, renters and sellers find their next home,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Unfortunately, we’re engaged in an ongoing contract dispute with Douglas Elliman, which may impact their agent’s ability to access StreetEasy’s rental platform if the dispute is not resolved by June 19 when the contract may be terminated.”
“To be clear, this is not our preferred outcome,” the statement continued. “We know that StreetEasy is a valuable marketing tool for agents and a trusted resource for consumers to find the latest listings and information about New York City real estate.”
The spokesperson continued to explain that the two sides were engaged in an ongoing conversation to find a resolution.
A spokesperson for Douglas Elliman declined to comment, but Inman obtained internal communication acknowledging the dispute and referencing an email StreetEasy sent to Douglas Elliman agents using the company’s rental platform.
“We apologize for this heavy-handed action by StreetEasy as we continue to negotiate some aspects of our relationship,” the email reads. “Please know that our team is making great progress in our negotiation and we understand and appreciate the platform’s importance to our business.”
“Rest assured, your work will not be interrupted and you will always be able to fully service your clients.”
StreetEasy launched a rental network in 2018, a platform that allows rental agents to advertise listings across StreetEasy, Zillow, Trulia, HotPads and Naked Apartments, for a fee, which is aimed at ensuring listing integrity.
The two firms have a long history of working together, specifically in the past on a StreetEasy initiative called Listing Tools, which was launched in early 2019. The tool is an agent app that aims to ease the input and management of listings.
StreetEasy is no stranger to scrapping with New York City brokerages. The portal previously was locked in a dispute with a number of brokerages in 2017 around the launch of Zillow’s Premier Agent.
