Just over a year after launching its climate risk feature, Zillow has quietly removed its Climate Risk Scores directly from the platform’s listings, and now instead directs users to First Street’s website—which Zillow called “the standard for climate risk financial modeling”—where they can individually access risk assessments for flood, wildfire, wind, heat and air quality threats.
The removal marks a significant reversal for the listing giant, which first introduced this feature in September 2024.
According to The New York Times, Zillow stopped displaying the scores after complaints from the California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS), which raised concerns about the accuracy of First Street’s flood risk models. Real estate agents also argued that the scores discouraged buyers from viewing and purchasing homes flagged as high-risk.
In a statement to RISMedia, a Zillow spokesperson said that Zillow “remains committed to providing consumers with information that helps them make informed real estate decisions. We updated our climate risk product experience to adhere to varying MLS requirements and maintain a consistent experience for all consumers.”
“Consumers can now access climate risk assessments for properties through First Street’s website, linked directly from listings on Zillow,” they continued. “This update ensures consumers continue to have access to important information to help them consider factors such as insurance, repair costs and long-term homeownership planning, and reflects our long-standing commitment to empowering consumers with transparent information.”
CRMLS CEO Art Carter noted that the concerns the MLS had focused on were the use of predictive data for flood risk, as it does not always align with observed conditions. He added that CRMLS did not receive any complaints from agents or brokers.
“In our review, we identified listings that were assigned a very high projected chance of flooding in the coming years, despite having no flood activity for decades,” Carter said.
CRMLS has asked Realtor.com, Redfin and Homes.com to also remove predictive numbers and flood layer maps from its listings.
“We are fully supportive of the First Street flood factor scores being displayed as there are no specific, predictive probabilities displayed,” Carter said. “Additional First Street data can still be linked out to from the listing page to allow consumers access to review and conduct their own research.”
A year of usage, then retreat
When Zillow launched the climate risk feature in September 2024, the company positioned it as a “critical factor in home-buying decisions.” At the time, Zillow cited research showing that more than 80% of buyers consider climate risks when purchasing homes, and claimed that the feature would help them assess long-term affordability and plan for insurance costs.
The tool provided insights into five key risks—flood, wildfire, wind, heat and air quality—directly in listing pages for homes for sale, complete with risk scores, interactive maps and insurance requirements.
Zillow partnered with First Street to power the feature. The portal emphasized that First Street’s models were developed by leading scientists and vetted through a peer-review process.
But the rollout encountered resistance, and not just from MLSs and agents. One couple in Chappaqua, New York, sued Zillow for $500,000 in damages, claiming the flood risk caused the home to be “stigmatized as materially unsellable at its actual market value,” according to the complaint.
That lawsuit notes that specific elements of their property, including a dammed stream and “town-owned rain mitigation factors,” were not taken into account. The property is also not in a FEMA floodzone, despite being rated as a 9/10 for flood risk, the lawsuit says.
Market consequences
Other real estate sites, including Redfin, Realtor.com® and Homes.com, display similar First Street data.
Research suggests that concerns about market impact were not unfounded. According to the report, a large-scale Redfin experiment found that when flood risk estimates were shown to millions of users, buyers became more likely to search for lower-risk properties, and homes flagged as high risk sold for about 1% less than their market value.
Zillow’s own internal analysis indicated that properties labeled with high fire or flood risk scores were less likely to sell than comparable properties with medium or low scores.
According to The New York Times, CRMLS has asked the other large real estate listing platforms to remove certain details about flood risks from their listings.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated the morning of Dec. 3 to reflect CRMLS CEO Art Carter’s statement.
