If you’re a PR agent looking to grab an audience, there are few better hooks right now than a play on Celebrity Traitors – the hit BBC show gripping the nation.
Zoopla has done exactly that with its latest housing market research, declaring Britain a nation of “Property Traitors”.
Behind the playful PR angle sits an interesting finding for estate agents: 44% of homeowners have taken steps towards a possible move without telling the other adults they live with.
More than a quarter (27%) have secretly browsed property listings. Another 21% have checked the value of their current home online.
And some covert movers are doing considerably more than scrolling through listings.
One in 10 secret property browsers has gone as far as viewing a home without telling others in their household. Some 2% have even made an offer in secret.
Future movers are already searching
The figures suggest agents could have a sizeable pool of potential movers researching the market long before they make themselves known.
Among people considering buying within the next one to three years, 72% have already taken at least one property-related action in secret.
Some 61% have browsed listings, while 36% have researched another area or town. Almost a third (30%) have privately calculated how much they could afford or borrow.
Nearly a quarter (23%) admit to having a secret “property crush” on a particular home. Another 19% have saved or shortlisted a property.
The behaviour continues among those considering moving within the next 12 months.
Some 43% have secretly browsed listings and 27% have researched another location. Meanwhile, 24% have saved or shortlisted a property.
One in five has privately checked the value of their existing home. The same proportion has calculated how much they could afford or borrow.
Hiding in plain sight
Many of Britain’s “Property Traitors” are carrying out their searches remarkably close to home.
More than a third (36%) of secret browsers have searched while watching television with the people they are keeping it from.
Others have browsed at work or on their commute. One in 10 waited until their partner was asleep.
London leads the Property Traitors
London recorded the highest proportion of covert property activity.
Almost two-thirds (62%) of Londoners surveyed had taken a property-related action without telling the other adults they live with.
The West Midlands followed at 54%, while the North West recorded 53%.
Scotland had the lowest proportion, at 31%.
However, the North West topped the table specifically for secret property browsing. Some 37% admitted privately searching listings, compared with 34% of Londoners.
Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla, said: “Anyone thinking about buying a home today has more to weigh up, with higher mortgage rates limiting buying power but more homes for sale, giving buyers greater choice and more room to negotiate.
“Doing your homework early is important. That means understanding what you can afford, looking at how far your budget will stretch in different areas and, for existing homeowners, knowing what your current home is worth and how much equity you have to put towards your next purchase.”
He added: “House prices and market conditions vary widely across the country, and even between neighbouring areas, so buyers shouldn’t rely on the national picture when working out their next move.”
Opinium conducted the research for Zoopla among 2,000 UK adults living with another adult between 17 and 22 September 2026.
