This is an independent informational page. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by CoStar Group, Inc. or Homes.com. "Homes.com" and "CoStar" are trademarks of CoStar Group, Inc. If we endorsed them, we'd yank your name off their site, apologize, wear a bag over our heads, and join a flagellation monastery. We do not.

How to Remove Your Information from Homes.com

They put your name, house, and mortgage on the internet. Here's how to fight a data broker with a form letter — and, if that fails, a little taste of their own medicine.

Opt Out Instructions

How to Opt Out of Homes.com

Homes.com scrapes public records and plasters current and past homeowners' names next to addresses, photos, and whatever else they can glue on. If you'd rather not be a listing, start here. Be warned: they usually smile, cite "transparency," and tell you to pound sand.

Homes.com typically replies that they don't delete public records. Translation: they collected it, they published it, and they would like you to go away. You may have to hit the county recorder and get it redacted at the source.

Contact Methods for Opt Out:

Sample Email Template:

Subject: Request to Remove Personal Information from Homes.com

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to request the immediate removal of my personal information from Homes.com. I have serious privacy concerns about my personal details being publicly accessible.

Please remove all information associated with:

Name: John A. Smith
Address: 123 Privacy Lane, Anytown, CA 90210

I understand this information comes from public records, but I am requesting you honor my privacy by removing or masking my personal details from your website.

Please confirm when this action has been completed.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
John A. Smith

Sample Response from Homes.com:

"Thank you for reaching out. Our goal at Homes.com is to provide a comprehensive, accurate, and informative overview of the residential market for the benefit of all users. That includes displaying public records data, which may include individual names. Homes.com does not delete publicly published data records. To have public records redacted or access to those public records removed, please contact your local recorder's office."

Using the Colorado Privacy Act for Removal

The Colorado Privacy Act actually has teeth. Unlike the "please pretty please" opt-out that Homes.com likes to ignore, CPA deletion requests have gotten owner names yanked off listings. David vs. Goliath, except David brought a statute.

It actually worked: Send the CPA template below and, in at least one case, Homes.com took the owner names down. The listing can still sit there with Street View like a haunted house. The personal identifiers don't have to.

Colorado Privacy Act Request Template

Send this email to: privacysupport@homes.com

Subject: Colorado Privacy Act - Data Deletion Request

To Whom It May Concern,

Pursuant to the Colorado Privacy Act (C.R.S. § 6-1-1301 et seq.), I am submitting a request for the deletion of personal data and associated photos from your public website and any cached or indexed copies.

Data and items to be deleted:

  • Names: [Your Full Name, Any Variations]
  • Addresses: [List all addresses to be removed]
  • Photos showing or associated with the above names and addresses
  • Any listings, directory entries, cached or archived pages, thumbnails, or other content displaying the above information

Verification information:

  • Full legal name: [Your Legal Name]
  • Email: [Your Email]
  • Phone: [Your Phone Number]

If identity verification is required, please specify the minimal documents needed and provide a secure method for submission. Do not request unrelated personal information.

Requested actions:

  1. Remove the listed names, addresses, and any associated photos from your public site, including thumbnails and image caches.
  2. Remove or de-index any cached or archived versions and notify search engines to remove cached results.
  3. Confirm in writing within 45 days that the deletion is complete, including the date of deletion and a description of what was removed.
  4. If you refuse this request in whole or in part, provide the legal basis for retention under the Colorado Privacy Act.

I expect this request to be processed in accordance with the CPA. Please confirm receipt and advise of any next steps or verification requirements.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Email]
[Your Phone]

Actual Response from Homes.com (Successful):

"We have completed our evaluation of the personal information (PI) held by Homes.com per your request below. We have processed your request by deleting any PI that is not subject to an exception under applicable Law. As a result, we have marked this request as completed. It may take a few days for this to be reflective on our site."

Important Notes

  • • Owner names were successfully removed from the listing
  • • The property listing may still appear with Google Street View imagery
  • • Changes may take a few days to reflect on the site
  • • This approach works best for Colorado residents citing the CPA

CCPA Success Story

California residents get the CCPA. One Reddit user reported CoStar as a data broker, and — shock — it actually worked. Sometimes the underdog wins if you stop asking nicely and start citing a law.

It actually worked: A Reddit user reported CoStar to the CCPA and got their information removed. One person. A form. A data broker. Score one for the peasants.

Reddit User Success Story

"I reported them to the CCPA and it worked. CoStar is a data broker and data broker opt out rules apply. Also, the info is public but when CoStar publishes it widely with other info it creates a nexus of PII."

Key Insights

  • • CoStar Group qualifies as a data broker under California law
  • • Data broker opt-out rules apply to their operations
  • • Even though individual data points are public, aggregating them creates personally identifiable information (PII)
  • • Filing a complaint with the CCPA can be an effective approach for California residents

How to File a CCPA Complaint:

  1. Visit the California Attorney General's CCPA complaint portal
  2. File a complaint stating that CoStar Group is operating as a data broker
  3. Explain that they are aggregating public information to create a nexus of PII
  4. Request that your personal information be deleted under CCPA data broker provisions
Visit California CCPA Portal

Homes.com — where to send the complaint they hope you never write

Corporate Addresses

  • Irvine, CA Office:
    17600 Laguna Canyon Rd.
    Irvine, CA 92618
  • Norfolk, VA Office:
    50 Granby Street, 10th Floor
    Norfolk, Virginia 23510, USA

Contact Numbers and email

CoStar Group — the parent company that owns the listing of you

Homes.com is owned by CoStar Group, a commercial-real-estate data empire that decided your house was content. If support ghosts you, these are the people who run the machine. Public info, publicly available — the same standard they apply to everybody else.

CoStar Group Leadership

Andy Florance

CEO & Founder

Andrew (Andy) Colden Florance founded CoStar in 1987 and has been CEO ever since. The guy at the top of the data pile.

Christian M. Lown

Chief Financial Officer

Responsible for CoStar Group's financial operations, reporting, and investor relations.

Frank Simuro

Chief Technology Officer

Leads the technology strategy and development for CoStar's platforms.

View Full Leadership Team

Contacting Andy Florance

Biography

Andy Florance founded CoStar from a Princeton dorm in 1987 and has been CEO ever since. Public bios mention spare time on a farm in the Virginia Blue Ridge with his wife Heather and two sons, Christopher and Matthew. We're not inventing a life story — that's the version they already put in circulation. Here's the rest of the public trail, because apparently publishing people's details online is "transparency" until it's yours.

Public Address

Andy Florance lives at

3542 Newark St NW
Washington, DC 20016

View on Google Maps
View property on Zillow

LinkedIn:

Andy Florance's Profile

Public Email Addresses:

Public-record fishing (the Homes.com special)

These are Google searches, not accusations. Same move they run on homeowners: if it's public, it gets a link. We are not saying any of this exists.

Andy Florance Phone Numbers

Publicly listed numbers associated with Andy Florance. Same kind of trail Homes.com hangs on everyone else's listing. Use them to ask about your data — not to be a menace.

(202) 253-1800
(202) 346-6700
(202) 362-3542
(202) 400-1600
(202) 450-5348
(301) 652-3432
(734) 395-0586

Contacting Lisa Curtis Ruggles

Biography

Lisa Curtis Ruggles (also Lisa Curtis Crow) is Senior Vice President, Global Operations at CoStar Group — the machinery that keeps the listings humming. Public records put her at 58, in Richmond, VA.

Current Address

2517 Hanover Ave
Richmond, VA 23220

View on Google Maps
View Street View
View property photos on Zillow

Spouse

Frank Lee Ruggles, Age 58

Public Email Addresses:

Lisa Curtis Ruggles Phone Numbers

Publicly available phone numbers associated with Lisa Curtis Ruggles:

Contacting Chris M. Lown

Biography

Christian (Chris) Mark Lown is CoStar's CFO. Public records: 55, born January 1970, finance lifer. He counts the money. Your listing is a line item.

Current Address

1211 Stuart Robeson Dr
Mc Lean, VA 22101

View on Google Maps

Spouse

Emily Victoria Lown, Age 52

Public Email Addresses:

Public-record fishing (the Homes.com special)

Google searches, not accusations. If it's public, it gets a link. We are not saying any of this exists.

Chris Lown Phone Numbers

Publicly listed numbers associated with Chris Lown. Transparency is a beautiful thing, until it's your cell.

CoStar Group Headquarters

Address: 1201 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22209

View on Google Maps

File a complaint with the BBB to help resolve your dispute: CoStar HQ, CoStar Group of Florida

Frequently Asked Questions