Rightmove is trialling a new renovation tool with home-movers, designed to help buyers understand the potential renovation costs of a property.

The portal says that new ‘Renovation Cost Estimator’ tool aims to encourage home-movers to spend more time considering the renovation potential of homes listed on Rightmove. It also provides agents with a new opportunity to highlight the improvement potential of their listings.

The Renovation Cost Estimator uses AI to read a property’s floorplan and estimate renovation costs room-by-room, with a focus on kitchens and bathrooms, the most popular areas for refurbishment.

The tool supports three finish levels, from basic to high-end, giving buyers flexibility to explore different budgets and plan with confidence.

Estimates are based on actual room dimensions and local labour and material rates, supplied by BuildPartner, a leading data provider for renovation and extension costs.

The Renovation Cost Estimator builds on Rightmove’s existing suite of renovation tools designed to help buyers unlock a property’s full potential.

These include:

+ The Renovation Calculator, which shows you the value a renovation could add to a home

+ The Extension Explorer feature, which highlights the potential to extend a home using planning permission likelihood data and build costs

+ Style with AI, an experiment which uses artificial intelligence to help buyers visualise interior design ideas tailored to each room

Tarah Lourens, chief technology and operations officer at Rightmove, said: “We’re excited to trial another innovation on our platform, this time building out further our suite of renovation tools for serious home-hunters.

“By using technology to provide tailored renovation estimates based on real room sizes, we’re helping agents connect with serious buyers who are actively planning their next move.”

The Renovation Cost Estimator trial is now live on selected resale listings via the renovation potential tab on Rightmove.