Another petition has launched urging estate agents to boycott Rightmove due to ‘relentless price hikes’ adversely affecting agents marketing properties on the portal.
Wiggywam has introduced a petition, as part of a campaign for agents to sign up to its own services.
On its website, Wiggywam states:
STOP RIGHTMOVE’S UNFAIR FEES HIKE – TAKE A STAND NOW!
Estate Agents, Rightmove has once again announced a shocking increase in its subscription fees – pushing already stretched agencies to the limit. Enough is enough! These relentless price hikes come without real justification, despite agents already paying thousands each month for the same service.
The UK property market is tougher than ever – rising costs, shrinking margins, and an uncertain economy are squeezing independent agents out of business. Yet Rightmove, raking in record profits, is forcing you to pay even more just to stay visible.
It is time to refuse to be cash cows for a company that relies on our listings to exist. It’s time for action!
Sign this petition NOW and demand that Rightmove scraps this outrageous price increase. Note: any personal details you enter will not be shared with anyone – these details are only used to help validate the petition!
Together, we can send a powerful message: Estate agents won’t be exploited any longer. Share widely. Stand up for your business.
Wiggywam’s chief executive, Silas J Lees, accuses Rightmove of “undermining the industry” by continuing to implement “unjustified price hikes”.
He wrote: “[Rightmove] continues to charge agents over £1,500+VAT per month, essentially taking their hard-won data for free from the agent’s CRM system, before selling it back to them at a massive profit!
“Worse still, they now seem to be blocking agents from complying with regulatory requirements. All of this is whilst operating at a staggering 73% profit margin – one of the highest of any FTSE 100 company – and its pushing agents to breaking point.
“Worryingly, estate agents are paying outrageous fees to Rightmove for a service that is actively putting them at risk.”
Rightmove’s fees have increased for many agents by 18% in 2025 — at a time when the property market is slowing down, claims Silas.
He continued: “With inflation reported at just 2.5%, an 18% increase is completely unjustifiable. For the average agent, that’s an additional £300 per month or nearly £4,000 per year — on top of existing costs and the recent National Insurance increases on all employees.
“Transaction volumes are already shrinking, and with the end of the stamp duty discount period ending soon, agents will be under even greater financial pressure from loss of revenue.
“One thing seems obvious – Rightmove is bleeding estate agents dry — increasing their fees while refusing to support compliance with material information laws. Yet agents have all the power in their hands to rapidly change this situation. It seems Rightmove have forgotten that it was agents who built them up to be the largest portal in the UK, and they can remove them from that position of power in a heartbeat.”
“After 20 years of endless price rises, Rightmove’s business model is clearly designed to exploit estate agents as much as possible and not support them,” he added.
Wiggywam’s campaign comes a fortnight after a petition calling for a CMA probe into Rightmove’s ‘unfair pricing practices affecting estate agents’ was launched.
The petition, which has only attracted 1,500 signatures, was launched by Shaun Adams, head of Cooper Adams in East Preston.
Rightmove’s relentless price hikes are pushing independent agents to the limit, and the industry is finally waking up to the issue. Agents are the foundation of Rightmove’s success, yet we’re being treated as a bottomless source of revenue, with annual fee increases that far exceed inflation.
Unlike Wiggywam, my petition isn’t about promoting an alternative platform—it’s about demanding accountability. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) needs to investigate whether Rightmove’s pricing model constitutes an abuse of market dominance.
With a staggering 71.5%+ profit margin, Rightmove offers heavily discounted deals to corporate agents, leaving independents to foot the bill. If we don’t take a stand now, these unfair price hikes will continue unchecked, putting small agencies under even more financial strain.
If you’re an agent affected by this, please join me in writing to the CMA—I have a template letter ready to help. Together, we can demand a fairer, more transparent approach.
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