Rightmove is celebrating the work of estate agents, acknowledging their expertise, and showing how they play a pivotal role in the housing market, as part of their latest marketing campaign.
The property portal has selected six agents recognised for going above and beyond for home-movers, chosen by a panel of judges to front its new ‘Game Changers’ marketing campaign, which seeks to emphasize how agents are crucial in helping people navigate the complex world of buying, selling, and renting properties.
The campaign aims to brings to life real examples of the valuable role agents across the UK play in keeping the nation moving.
‘The Game Changers’ campaign launches today, reaching millions of people through the Rightmove homepage, social media and weekly newsletter. By using real-life stories of the skill and hard work of agents, Rightmove aims to highlight agents who perform exceptionally well, creating spotlight opportunities to help agents gain increased visibility on the platform.
Entries were put forward from home-movers and landlords about their positive experience in working with an agent since the start of last year.
The selected agents:
+ ‘The Extra Miler’ – Michelle Shaw-Marla, Joy Walker Estate Agents in Cleethorpes: “Michelle went above and beyond, helping ensure questionnaires were answered correctly. As pensioners, she wanted us to feel safe in a long-term rental”
+ ‘The Mind Reader’ – Wendy Halliday, Rook Matthews Sayer in Ashington: “Wendy solved problems before I even knew they existed and made sure that the process was as seamless as possible”
+ ‘The Solution Finder’ – Christian Cloke, Christian Lewis Property in Evesham: “Our move was complex and could have stalled several times. With Christian’s support we were able to look at alternatives to keep the sale progressing”
+ ‘The Chain Saver’ – Kerry Ray, CJ Hole in Kingswood: “If it wasn’t for Kerry’s experience, rapid responding, and quick thinking, we would not have got our dream house”
+ ‘The Rapid Replier’ – Helen South, Moore Homes in Bramhall: “Helen was super responsive – she was at our house in record time and agreed a sale in 3 weeks. It felt like she was personally invested in our transaction”
+ ‘The Door Opener’ – James Drewett, EXP in Orpington: “James always saw visions for houses and gave us great ideas for remodelling. He let us go back and forth with viewings when we weren’t sure”
‘The Game Changers’ is part of Rightmove’s bigger ambition to be seen to be championing agents by promoting their success stories.
Rightmove previously hosted an open forum with agents, to discuss some of the most common misconceptions that agents face and the ways that Rightmove can support them in dispelling these.
Christian Balshen, Rightmove’s director of agency partnerships, said: “The number of people that use Rightmove to move home puts us in a great position to advocate for the great work that estate and letting agents do. This campaign is to remind people of the skill that is demonstrated every day by property professionals and to make sure it doesn’t go unnoticed by people moving home.”
Richard Rawlings, estate agency industry consultant and trainer, and part of The Game Changers panel, added: “What a pleasure to be involved in judging these impressive examples of extraordinary estate agency. One particular aspect that really strikes me is the level of personal accountability that the best agents exhibit. They are absolutely committed to helping their clients move, whatever it takes. They listen, and patiently seek to understand people’s anxieties and fears, as much as their hopes and dreams, to the extent that many of them remain trusted advisors, and even friends, long after the keys have changed hands.”
On the surface, it’s a positive spotlight on some outstanding agents. But let’s be frank — it also serves as a calculated PR exercise designed to deflect from mounting scrutiny over Rightmove’s practices and their growing unpopularity among the independent sector.
So, where’s the fight at now?
It’s a two-pronged approach:
1. If the CMA acts decisively and ethically, it can hold Rightmove accountable — potentially resulting in formal regulatory action and compensation for the widespread financial harm caused to independent agents. Whether they do so depends on both political will and resources.
2. Separately, a legal case is progressing. It’s being structured carefully and, once filed, aims to directly challenge the legality of Rightmove’s conduct. If successful, it could have significant financial and reputational consequences, including serious implications for their share price.
The issue at the core is simple: Rightmove is abusing its dominant market position to impose disproportionate, discriminatory fees on independent estate agents — distorting competition and harming consumer choice in the process.
Rightmove currently captures 86% of UK property portal traffic, making it the de facto platform for visibility. That dominance means agents feel commercially compelled to list on Rightmove, regardless of whether the fees are sustainable. In essence, it’s a form of economic coercion.
The 2025 price increase — as high as 22% in some cases — is not only well above inflation, but also completely unjustified given the product has seen no meaningful innovation or added value for years.
Meanwhile, those who leave face punitive rejoining fees, effectively creating a barrier to market re-entry and further entrenching Rightmove’s grip.
Even more concerning is the suspected discriminatory pricing.
I’ve been reliably informed that some corporate chains pay as little as £125 per branch per month, while independents pay more than £2,000. Rightmove refuses to confirm or deny this, citing commercial confidentiality. If true, this creates an unlevel playing field and reinforces monopolistic market distortion.
The financial burden on smaller firms is devastating. Many are scaling back marketing, reducing staff, and ultimately offering a poorer experience to sellers — all because they’re overpaying to be visible.
Based on current figures, Rightmove’s average cost per house sold is around £450. A fair market rate would be closer to £45 — more aligned with the value proposition of alternative portals.
On a legal basis, Rightmove’s behaviour appears to breach several key areas of UK competition law:
• The Competition Act 1998 (Chapter II) — for abusing a dominant market position
• The Enterprise Act 2002 — for harming fair competition and limiting consumer choice
• The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill — aimed at curbing the power of digital platforms that impose excessive fees or unfair terms
In response, independent agents have now launched the Portal Fee Scandal campaign to shine a light on these practices and demand change — more on that at portalfeescandal.co.uk.
It’s clear that urgent regulatory and legal intervention is needed. The current system isn’t just unfair — it’s economically damaging, anti-competitive, and unsustainable for the majority of agents in the UK.
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The most effective solution for independent agents is to withhold or delay their listings from Rightmove. This is the simplest and most impactful way to limit its property stock and challenge its dominance. However, agents must also take responsibility for educating consumers—Rightmove is not necessarily the best platform for selling or finding property. The power has always rested with the agents themselves, but too many have fallen into the habit of automatically uploading listings via their CRM systems without questioning the long-term consequences.
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