DNG instructed a letting agent to add original photos and an AI-use notice after AI-edited apartment images brightened and altered room features in several listings. Critics, including Social Democrats spokesperson Rory Hearne, warned the edits could misrepresent light and structural details. DNG said the changes were meant to improve presentation, has reminded agents of the rules and will review ads across its network.
Apology After AI-Altered Apartment Photos: DNG Orders Corrections Amid Backlash
Photo Credit: iStock
A letting agent linked to Irish property group DNG has apologised after several apartment listings featured images altered with artificial intelligence that brightened rooms and in some cases changed visible features.
Following questions from The Journal, DNG told the agent, DNG O'Connor Finn, to update listings on property website Daft.ie and on its own site by inserting the original, unedited photos and adding a clear notice that AI had been used.
What The Edits Changed
The alterations were more than simple touch-ups. One bedroom image appeared to modify the flooring, curtains, radiator and even the mattress size. In another instance a kitchen photo transformed a dim room with half-painted cabinets and different flooring into a bright, finished-looking space.
Rules And Reactions
Under Advertising Standards Authority guidance, AI may be used in advertising provided its use is disclosed and unedited images are shown nearby. In these listings, however, the original photos were placed much further down the page, reducing their prominence.
"Even if the image retains the exact dimensions of the property in the picture, the AI may brighten the picture and misrepresent the light in the space, impose changes that are structurally not possible in the space, or make changes that would require planning permission," said Rory Hearne, housing spokesperson for the Social Democrats. He called the publication of such images "distasteful."
DNG defended the edits as being "intended solely to improve the presentation and visual quality of the photographs and were not used to alter or misrepresent the size, layout, condition or material features of a property." The group said it is new to AI, has reminded agents of the rules and plans to review listings across its network.
Wider Context
Concerns about AI-altered property images have surfaced in other markets, from buyers posting side-by-side comparisons after a home failed to match its listing, to agencies criticised for edits that broke local advertising rules. Viral examples have included apparently AI-designed mansions, listings with impossible staircases and rooflines that made little architectural sense — all prompting ridicule and regulatory scrutiny.
Regulators and industry bodies are now watching how estate agents use AI tools and enforcing disclosure rules to protect buyers and renters from misleading imagery.
What Agents And Buyers Should Watch For:
- Clear AI disclosure on listings
- Prominent placement of original, unedited photos
- Transparency about any digital staging or cosmetic changes
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