According to Disaster-Smart’s CEO “All of our aerial photography and video is taken by DSCI inspectors who have obtained the required Commercial FAA License. DSCI is in full compliance with FAA regulations and can file flight plans to take aerial photos for commercial use even in restricted flight space.” Avoid potential liability and make sure the company you use is in full compliance with the FAA Rules and Regulations to avoid fines and penalties associated with listings for the sale of property.
According to recent stories “Realtors and other commercial drone operators “are subject to all existing FAA regulations, as well as future rule-making action,” the FAA said.
Some real estate agents who fly drones to photograph listings have claimed that as long they are not charging money for the service, they qualify as hobbyists. Companies that provide drone photography or video for real estate brokers and agents will sometimes say they are charging for photo or video editing, not drone flights.
In a notice interpreting the special rule governing model aircraft, the FAA explicitly stated that “a Realtor using a model aircraft to photograph a property that he is trying to sell and using the photos in the property’s real estate listing” is not engaged in a hobby or recreation. Nor is “a person photographing a property or event and selling the photos to someone else.”
Resource articles:
http://www.inman.com/2014/06/25/faa-says-realtors-who-fly-drones-to-shoot-listing-photos-are-not-hobbyists/
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/the-faa-says-you-cant-post-drone-videos-on-youtube
https://www.theverge.com/2016/8/30/12707502/drone-regulations-legality-us-faa
