Plenty of Australians know how it feels to spot a promising rental listing only to realise the photos were edited as soon as they arrive at an inspection.Now AI is making it easier for landlords and agents to enhance or overhaul property photos and it's making the already stressful process of finding housing even harder."It's crazy the number of inspections I've gone to that look nothing like the pictures," Emma*, who is hunting for a rental in Sydney, told nine.com.au.LIVE UPDATES: 'Zombie ships' pass through Strait of Hormuz, Trump postpones strikesAn unedited image of a dated kitchen in what could be an Australian rental. (Adobe Stock) / With just a few prompts, AI tools make a dated kitchen look new and fresh. (Adobe Stock/Google Gemini/Nine)"It's hard to tell which ones have been AI-edited or which ones have been Photoshopped until you actually get to the unit and realise you've wasted your time."There's currently nothing stopping agents from using AI-altered property photos without disclosing it.But that could soon change – at least in NSW, where Emma's trying to rent.A bill currently before NSW parliament would force landlords and agents in the state to admit when they've used AI to edit real estate pictures.Tenants' Union of NSW chief executive Leo Patterson Ross called it the first step towards much-needed reform.Tenants' Union of NSW chief executive Leo Patterson Ross. (Supplied)"We're trying to make agents think twice about how they are digitally altering photos so you might see less of the really dodgy stuff," he told nine.com.au.Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Leach at mleach@nine.com.auAustralian Consumer Law prohibits misleading or deceptive conduct in real estate listings with penalties of up to $220,000 for an individual and $1.1 million for a company.But enforcement is rare."It's difficult to gather complaints and the evidence of the wrongdoing," Patterson Ross said.Though the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) enforces the rules at a national level, real estate advertising regulation is primarily governed at a state and territory level.It's done through property legislation and fair trading/consumer affairs agencies, which largely rely on reports from tenants about breaches.But reporting can be daunting when you're trying to secure housing in a rental crisis."If you want the place, you probably aren't going to fight about it," Patterson Ross said."And if you aren't trying to move in or don't move in, it's almost certainly not worth your time and energy and core costs and trying to construct a prosecution."So this is somewhere where the government would need to be more active."WORLD: Traffic controller's chilling admission minutes after deadly plane crashGenerics for lease sign in the western suburbs, Thursday 14th of December 2023. (Dion Georgopoulos/AFR)Emma hasn't reported any of the property photos she suspects to have been digitally altered through AI or other means.She worries it could tank her chances of securing a rental in the competitive Sydney market."Obviously I'm not applying for the dodgy units, but if I apply for another place with the same agent or real estate company it could screw me," she said.Patterson Ross still encourages prospective tenants to file a complaint with Fair Trading about misleading real estate listings.Including photo evidence, like a screenshot of edited listing images compared to photos taken at the property during an inspection, is important.While a single complaint may not attract a lot of attention, Fair Trading can take action when multiple complaints pile up."We want to see Fair Trading really being a visible and active regulator that real estate agents know if they do the wrong thing, someone's watching and someone will hold them to account," Patterson Ross said."Because for a long time, there's been a lot of rules on paper that if you were a dodgy agent you could avoid."READ MORE: How much fuel does Australia have left?Landlords and agents have been using virtual staging and photo-editing software to enhance listing images for years now.Some people argue AI is just another tool they can use now, provided it's done honestly and responsibly.Real Estate Institute of NSW chief executive Tim McKibbin said that's what most agents are doing."I haven't heard of any actions by Fair Trading in relation to misleading with the use of Photoshop or AI or the like," he told nine.com.au.He said using AI to clean up or enhance the quality of a property photo is fine as long as it doesn't "change the reality" of the property."There's nothing wrong with demonstrating what the property would lend itself to."*Name changed.EVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google PlayMake 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box hereSign up to our breaking newsletter here