Rightmove faces £1.5-billion lawsuit over estate agent fees
Rightmove is facing a class action backed by estate agents over charging ‘unfair’ subscription fees.
The legal action was filed in the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), which has been brought by Jeremy Newman, an accountant and former Competition and Markets Authority panel member.
According to the claim, Rightmove abused its dominant position in the UK online property portal market by charging estate agents and new home developers excessive subscription fees to list properties on its online portal.
Over 80% of all consumer time spent on UK property portals is spent on Rightmove, and the company reported profit margins of around 70% for the second consecutive year in its latest results. This is not a product of merit, the claim argues, but instead market dominance.
It noted that the average commission earned by estate agencies per property sold increased by £49 in 2024, but Rightmove’s average monthly fee increased by £93 per month.
The claim estimates that the damages from Rightmove’s excessive fees to total around £1.5 billion.
Thousands of estate agents were potentially affected by these high fees, which have been labelled ‘unfair’ and ‘excessive’ by the claim. According to the claim’s website, more than 250 estate agencies and other businesses have expressed interest in or support for the claim against Rightmove.
“There has been an extremely encouraging response from estate agents since we announced this legal action,” Newman said.
“The stories shared by businesses, both small and large, have confirmed long-held concerns in the market about Rightmove’s conduct.”
“Filing this claim today advances the route to meaningful compensation for those businesses who have had very little choice but to absorb excessive fee increases for many years.”
Speaking to the BBC, Rightmove said it was confident in the value it provides to its partners and consumers.
“As one of the most efficient parts of the UK housing market, we help people across the UK to move home by bringing buyers, sellers, renters, landlords and agents together,” Rightmove said.
“Our platform continues to provide a growing range of constantly evolving products and features which facilitate market transparency, liquidity and confidence.”
