Beginning March 1st, 2026, FBS will charge developers $75/month for each MLS to which they have at least one RETS feed. These fees will increase by $25 every 6 months thereafter.
We announced these fees to all RETS users on August 18th, 2025. Here’s the original developer announcement, and here’s the reminder sent February 12th, 2026.
MLS Action Items to be Prepared:
- Reach out to your still-active RETS users and make sure they’re aware that they must take action before March 1st to continue using RETS. This guide covers exactly how to see which RETS feeds are still in use for your MLS.
Developers must link their RETS feeds to a Spark developer account before March 1st, 2026. You can share this link to the most recent reminder email, which lays out exactly how they can complete this task. Starting March 1st, any RETS feeds not linked to a Spark developer account will be subject to suspension.
- If you don’t offer API access yet, get in touch with the API Support team (api-support@fbsdata.com). We are standing by to help you get started. RETS won’t be supported for much longer and API access is cheaper.
Don’t hesitate to contact the API Support team (api-support@fbsdata.com) with any questions you have.
Timeline & Details
- March 1st, 2026: All RETS feeds not linked to a Spark developer account will be subject to suspension.
- Early April 2026: FBS will bill developers for March RETS usage. Unpaid RETS fees will result in suspension of RETS service.
Why the Change?
RETS is now over two decades old, and at this point, it’s an industry-specific curiosity. Meanwhile, APIs have been the modern de facto standard across the internet for years and provide enormous advantages. The real estate industry has been transitioning from RETS to APIs for years, but it’s been a slow process.
By introducing charges for RETS, we aim to drive this transition forward by providing a strong incentive for RETS users to switch to the APIs ($50/month). With these new fees, we’re taking an intermediary but less drastic step towards ultimately discontinuing support for RETS altogether. While there’s no final RETS sunset date at this time, it’s on the horizon. The time to complete the transition from RETS to APIs is now.
