Rightmove’s Pricing Model is Crushing Independent Agents – We Demand Fairness

We, the undersigned independent estate agents, are calling for an urgent investigation into Rightmove’s unfair and unsustainable pricing model, which is crippling small businesses and stifling competition.

Rightmove dominates the UK property portal market, with over 86% of all online property searches taking place on their platform. Sellers expect their homes to be listed on Rightmove, and buyers naturally turn to it first—giving estate agents no real choice but to remain on the platform, no matter the cost.

Despite already generating enormous profits, Rightmove has announced yet another excessive price hike—an 18% increase, nearly seven times the UK inflation rate of 2.5%. This is not about providing better service; it is about exploiting their dominant market position at the expense of independent agents.

Agents are now faced with two unfair choices:
🔹 Accept the 18% fee increase OR
🔹 Take a "lower" 15% increase but be locked into a new restrictive contract

Rightmove has also implemented punitive rejoining fees and contract conditions designed to prevent agents from leaving or pausing their membership, making it financially impossible for small agencies to take control of their own costs. Rightmove's fees should be fair and transparent for all agencies.

Why This is Killing Independent Agents
Unlike corporate chains, independent agents don’t have access to preferential bulk pricing deals. Large agencies pay significantly lower fees, while smaller businesses are forced to absorb these relentless increases or pass them on to sellers and landlords—harming consumers in the process. 

🔹 Rightmove’s latest profit margins exceed 70%, yet they continue to squeeze struggling agents.
🔹 Independent agents pay disproportionately higher fees than corporate chains, creating an unfair market.
🔹 The cost of staying on Rightmove is now unbearable for many small businesses, threatening local high street agents across the UK.

We Demand an Investigation into Rightmove’s Pricing Practices
Rightmove’s conduct must be urgently reviewed for potential market abuse. We call on the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to:

✅ Investigate whether Rightmove’s dominant position in the market allows them to impose unfair and excessive fees.
✅ Assess if Rightmove is blocking fair competition by making it financially impossible for agents to leave.
✅ Review the justification for continuous, above-inflation price hikes while industry conditions remain challenging.

How You Can Help
📢 Sign this petition and add your voice to a formal complaint to the CMA.
📌 Please include your agency name & location in the comments so we can submit a full list of affected agents.
💬 Example: "Signed – Jane Smith, JS Property, Bradford."

This fight is about survival for independent agents. If we don’t act now, Rightmove will continue to raise prices unchecked—driving more small agents out of business.

🚨 Sign, share, and stand with us—together, we can fight for fair pricing!