Short answer
A brokerage can get a Google or Yelp review taken down when the review breaks that platform's published content policy. Reputation Medics files the case for $397 per Google review and $697 per Yelp review. Pay upfront. If the specific item is not removed within 30 days, the removal fee is automatically refunded.
Yes, when the review breaks a published platform policy. A truthful account from a real customer stays up, however harsh it reads. Google, Yelp, and the sites we file with make the final removal decision. What we guarantee is the automatic refund of the removal fee if the item stays up past 30 days.
$397 per Google review, $697 per Yelp review, and $497 per harmful link on another site. One price per item, no retainer. Pay upfront. If the specific item is not removed within 30 days, the removal fee is automatically refunded.
Reviews that map to a published policy: a reviewer who was never a customer, a competitor or former employee, off-topic content, private details about staff, prohibited language, or specific factual claims your records contradict.
Filing happens after payment and onboarding details are received. The 30-day window in the refund term is the clock that matters: if the specific item is still up after 30 days, that removal fee comes back automatically. Google, Yelp, and the sites we file with make the final removal decision. What we guarantee is the automatic refund of the removal fee if the item stays up past 30 days.
On the one side of a home sale job type, a $10,663 job at a 100% gross margin is $10,663 of gross profit. That is the arithmetic on a single job, using the cited benchmarks below.
The start form takes a few minutes if you have these four things in front of you. Nothing else is required to open the case. The full list is below.
Gross profit is the job value multiplied by the gross margin in the same row. Nothing is projected. Every job value, close rate, and margin below is cited in the sources at the end of this page.
| Job type | Average job value | Close rate | Gross margin | Gross profit per job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One side of a home saleMedian existing-home price at the 2.6% buyer-side commission measured after the 2024 settlement. | $10,663 | 30% | 100% | $10,663 |
| Tenant placementPlacement fee averaging 70.6% of one month's rent, shown here against a $1,500 rent. | $1,059 | 30% | 100% | $1,059 |
| Managed unit, per yearAverage flat management fee of $101.04 per unit per month over twelve months. | $1,212 | 30% | 100% | $1,212 |
Run your own numbers on the Real Estate revenue calculator.
Every case cites a documented policy violation. If the review maps to none of these, we say so before you pay.
Not a real customer
The reviewer never bought from you. Wrong business, a competitor, or someone repeating a story they were told.
Conflict of interest
A competitor, a former employee, or anyone with a stake in making the rating drop.
Off-topic content
A complaint about something other than the work you did, or a rant about an unrelated dispute.
Personal information
Names of staff, phone numbers, addresses, or other private details the platforms prohibit.
Hate speech, threats, profanity
Language that breaks the platform's prohibited-content rules regardless of whether the visit happened.
Defamatory or provably false claims
Specific factual assertions about the job that your records contradict.
The crisis card above says 89 percent of buyers choose from the three top-rated agents. Sellers do the same when picking who to interview. The shortlist is built on Google and Zillow before you ever hear about the listing.
The interview shortlist
Sellers pick two or three agents to interview from the top of the map results. The rating puts you in the running. The newest review decides whether the phone rings.
The losing-bidder review
Buyers who lost a bidding war, tenants an agent's client evicted, and neighbours upset about a sale all leave reviews. None of them were clients, and to a stranger every one reads as client testimony.
The commission-dispute read
A review that says 'hidden fees' or 'pressured us into a low offer' is read as a warning about money by every seller about to sign a listing agreement, and money is what a listing agreement is about.
Nothing here is a promise of removal, because that decision belongs to the platform. This is the sequence and the timing the platforms themselves publish, plus the day the fee refunds if the item is still up.
Day 0 · Free scan and eligibility read
We pull the live review or page from Google and Zillow and Realtor.com, quote it verbatim, and say which policy it breaks. If nothing breaks a rule we say so and take no fee.
Days 1-3 · Filing with the transaction record
Non-clients, losing bidders and tenants in dispute produce most of these reviews, so the filing shows what relationship existed, or that none did, and which policy the content breaks.
Days 3-10 · Platform moderation
Yelp says reported content goes to its moderators and that evaluation may take several days, with an email when it is finished. Google evaluates the report against its prohibited and restricted content policy. Most decisions land inside this window.
Days 10-21 · Appeal where the first report is declined
A declined report is not the end. Google provides an appeal route for reviews it decides to keep, and a second filing that cites a different policy ground and better evidence is often what moves it.
Day 30 · Automatic refund
If the item is still live 30 days after payment, the fee refunds automatically, without a request, a form or a phone call. $397 Google, $697 Yelp, $497 harmful link.
The start form takes a few minutes if you have these four things in front of you. Nothing else is required to open the case.
No transaction
Losing bidders and prospects who never signed are reportable
A review from someone who lost a bid, toured once, or never became a client is not a customer experience. For a brokerage, the transaction record is what turns that into a filing under the genuine-experience ground.
Google Maps Help — Prohibited and restricted content policy for Maps user contributions
Named agents
Unsupported accusations against a named agent fall under harassment policy
Google's Maps contributions policy prohibits harassment and personal attacks against individuals. Reviews accusing a named agent or property manager of fraud or discrimination with nothing behind them are filed on that ground and quoted exactly.
Google Maps Help — Prohibited and restricted content policy for Maps user contributions
16 CFR Part 465
Buying reviews to bury a bad one is a federal violation, not a shortcut
Since October 21, 2024 the FTC rule on consumer reviews bans fake reviews, insider reviews presented as customer reviews, and paying for positive or negative reviews, with civil penalties available per violation. For a brokerage that leaves two lawful moves: earn real reviews, and report the ones that break platform policy.
U.S. Federal Trade Commission, 2024 — Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 465)
Policy grounds only
Google removes reviews that break a policy, not reviews you dislike
Google's own help documentation says any review can be reported but only content that violates its policies is eligible for removal. That is why a case starts by matching the wording to a named policy: fake engagement, off topic, impersonation, harassment, personal information or conflict of interest.
Google Business Profile Help — Report inappropriate reviews on your Business Profile
You pay the removal fee upfront so we can begin work. If the specific item is not removed within 30 days, we automatically refund that removal fee to your original payment method. Google, Yelp, and other third-party sites make the final removal decision.
Google, Yelp, and the sites we file with make the final removal decision. What we guarantee is the automatic refund of the removal fee if the item stays up past 30 days.
Often, yes. A rejected offer is not a customer relationship with the listing agent, and platforms judge reviews on whether the reviewer was a genuine customer of the business reviewed. We describe the relationship in the report without disclosing transaction details.
Unsupported accusations of illegal conduct against a named individual fall under harassment and defamation policy on Google and Yelp. We quote the language and file the report. The platform decides, and if the review is still live at day 30 the fee refunds automatically.
Self-serve removal covers Google at $397, Yelp at $697 and harmful links at $497. Zillow and Realtor.com run their own dispute processes, and we walk through them with you in a consultation rather than charging for a filing that may have no route.
Metro area median home prices, fourth quarter 2024
National Association of Realtors · 2025
Median existing-home price of $410,100. The commission figure on this page is that price at the 2.6% buyer-side rate measured after the August 2024 settlement, which is arithmetic over two cited inputs. Limitation: the 2.6% rate comes from analyst Mike DelPrete's dataset covering only the first months after the settlement.
Average property management fees
iPropertyManagement · 2022
Average monthly management fee of 8.49% of collected rent, average flat fee of $101.04 per unit per month, and a tenant-placement fee averaging 70.6% of one month's rent, from advertised rates across 80 metros. Limitation: survey content dates to 2022 and reflects advertised rather than collected pricing.
Missing data note for financial, insurance, and brokerage firms
Reputation Medics editorial note · 2026
No trade body publishes a close rate for financial advisors, mortgage brokers, insurance agents, or CPA firms, and no verified margin benchmark exists for advisory firms, brokerages, or property managers. NARPM's benchmark guide and AICPA's MAP survey are member-only, and the '0.4%–1.2% real estate lead conversion' figure circulating online is not traceable to any NAR release. Close rates here are the cross-industry default, and fees are treated as revenue.
2024 Local Consumer Review Survey
BrightLocal · 2024
Star rating and review sentiment vs. click-through from search and maps. Used for the click-through drag curve.
Reviews, Reputation, and Revenue
Harvard Business School · Michael Luca
Peer-reviewed link between review sentiment and revenue. Used for the sentiment drag curve.
Prohibited and restricted content policy for Maps user contributions
Google Maps Help
The policy list a removal report has to cite: fake engagement, off-topic content, impersonation, harassment, personal information and conflicts of interest.
Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 465)
U.S. Federal Trade Commission · 2024
Federal rule effective October 21, 2024. Bans fake or AI-generated reviews, reviews by insiders presented as customers, and buying positive or negative reviews. This is why removal has to be argued on policy grounds instead of countered with bought reviews.
Report inappropriate reviews on your Business Profile
Google Business Profile Help
Google's own documentation of the report route: any review can be reported, only reviews that break a content policy are eligible for removal, and the decision is Google's.
Yelp for Business Support Center
Yelp states that reported content is evaluated by its moderators and that the evaluation may take several days, with an email sent when it is done.
Paste the review, tell us which platform, and pay the removal fee for that item. If it is still up after 30 days the fee comes back automatically.
Starting with real estate and property. Google, Zillow, Realtor.com, ApartmentRatings and Yelp.
Property Management Companies
Residential and commercial property-management companies: reputation protection for a recurring-revenue, tenant-and-owner-facing segment.
Explore Property Management Companies →Commercial Real Estate Firms
Commercial real-estate brokerages and advisory firms: reputation protection for a relationship-and-referral-driven professional segment.
Explore Commercial Real Estate Firms →Healthcare
Protect provider ratings across Google, Healthgrades, WebMD, and Zocdoc.
Explore Healthcare →Plastic Surgeons
Elective-care buyers scrutinize every star. Protect your before-and-after story.
Explore Plastic Surgeons →Dental Practices
Every new-patient acquisition starts with a Google review. Own that moment.
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Wellness-buyers filter by rating first. Keep your practice above the cutoff.
Explore Chiropractors →Veterinary
Pet parents research obsessively. Your reviews decide who they trust with family.
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Prospective clients vet attorneys through reviews before they ever call.
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Fiduciary trust is built, and destroyed, one review at a time.
Explore Financial Services →