Independent Agent Launches Petition Against "Daylight Robbery" Rightmove Price Hike

A British real estate agent has filed a petition to investigate Rightmove after the portal operator hit him with an 18% price hike.

Shaun Adams accused Rightmove of "daylight robbery" and "unethical" fee increases.

Adams now wants the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to understand Rightmove's justification for charging "silly amounts" to agents.

The petition has already collected hundreds of signatures.

Speaking to The Negotiator, Adams said:

"Inflation has gone up and National Insurance increases are clobbering agents. [Paying] the minimum wage is another struggle, and many businesses are saying they have to let people go.

"It is another nail in the coffin for some agents. If inflation has gone up by 2.5%, then 5% would be fair, but 18% is daylight robbery."

Adams defended the portal's consistency and reliability but questioned Rightmove's pricing strategy for independently-owned agencies—Rightmove's pricing tends to favour agency chains with multiple offices that qualify for discounts.

Rightmove has faced repeated backlash from the industry for its price hikes, but its chokehold over the marketplace means a significant proportion of agents continue to pay up year after year.

Agent sentiment against Rightmove led to the launch of the agent-backed marketplace OnTheMarket in 2015, but the challenger portal never quite took off before its acquisition by CoStar Group in 2023. CoStar boss Andy Florance has since branded Rightmove "arrogant" and "complacent" as his business ramps up its war against the British market leader.