When it was spotted in mid-November last year that Agreed.co.uk, an online do it yourself ‘property platform’, is enabling vendors to list their properties on Rightmove for £9.99 per week, EYE approached the property portal to understand why it is permitting sellers to list directly on the platform?
A spokesperson for the portal swiftly responded, insisting that “Rightmove does not allow sellers to list directly”.
The spokesperson confirmed: “All sellers must go through an estate agent to be able to advertise on Rightmove and that agent must follow all relevant agency legislation.”
It was quite clear that Agreed.co.uk, the “self-service property platform”, as stated on its website, did not qualify as an estate agency.
The company, co-founded by the former head of Hunters estate agents, Kevin Hollinrake, who is now a Conservative MP, clearly stated in a video on its website, which has now been removed, that it was categorically not an estate agency, and yet Rightmove said it was satisfied that Agreed.co.uk is an agent.
The Rightmove spokesperson told EYE: “We provide a platform for all estate agents who meet the definition of “estate agency work” and can therefore offer proper consumer protection under the CPRs.
“All prospective customers go through our strict vetting process and they must give evidence to show that they are providing estate agency services. If any customer is found not to be carrying out actual estate agency services then their membership will be reviewed immediately.
“Rightmove does not allow sellers to list directly. All sellers must go through an estate agent to be able to advertise on Rightmove and that agent must follow all relevant agency legislation.”
Less than three months later, we have spotted a Rightmove advert inviting people to advertise property privately, albeit it on the ‘Rightmove Overseas’ section. So why are the rules different for those selling and letting property abroad?
EYE asked Rightmove for the answer. The portal declined to comment.
Rightmove responds to suggestion that it now allows sellers to list directly on the portal
Comments (12)
Why are we worried if seller advertise directly? Surely we consider ourselves more than just gatekeepers to a website?
anyone bothered by this either doesn’t have any value to offer, or doesn’t know how to demonstrate that value – neither particularly great attitudes in this profession.
I personally can’t think of anything better – imagine all those vendors you’ll pick up when they realise it isn’t as easy as popping it online and waiting for a call. The market would have already curtailed their inflated expectations and none of them will be locked into corporate agency contracts – you’ll be able to treat the private listings like a directory of potential vendors.
Come on people, think about it.
Still laughing all the way to the bank that many agents don’t have the confidence or ability to sell their services without RM…. If you are happy to pay well over the odds for someone to do nothing more than upload your property to an online shop window, crack on, glad I gave that up years ago!
Have the courage to dump them, you won’t be sorry and you’ll save a fortune. ZPG & OTM are far superior value for money, we did a couple of years ago and so glad we did.
We Brits need to start looking outside our island box.
Se Loger is the largest property portal in France with around 1 million ads at any one time and 10 million photos online. It allows private rentals listings and private sales listings may well be on the cards soon. It’s France’s Rightmove. Bien Ici is probably the next largest portal. Estate agent owned it allows private listings. The shake-up here has only just started.
Agents are Brainwashed and terrified to leave RM ‘more the fools them’, Im happy with OTM they are great and provide me, my customers and consumers everything they need, since we left RM in 2017 we’ve never looked back it makes me chuckle reading some of the posts from the agents that are still on RM.
As for sticking together and leaving collectively please DON’T its better for me that your paying their ever increasing fees and continue to get fleeced. – I’m saving a fortune over £130,000 in the last 6 years.. Ive found my Happy!!
I also think we all know what we should be doing as a collective force of agent power.
And here we have the problem Fixedwingtofly because agents don’t all agree on this. You have the corporates with their favourable private deals and independents who are just happy just sailing along, unwilling to rick the boat.
It’s a ridiculous situation and immensely frustrating
Correct, but what a key moment in time it could be, with Fred Kite withdrawing his members work force (sorry Mick Lynch), who started the strikes for his members of part of one union then others followed, all banging on about their poor working conditions and cut backs due to advanced technology, the real reason is they want more wages/money to combat inflation with the cost of living. Estate Agents just seem to accept the annual increases of portals, technology companies, staff wage increases etc,whilst scrapping with each other undercutting fees to get an instruction, which is a cost liability until it sells, then it becomes an asset, and that could be 6 months before we see any income for the work we have done. Its a mad mad mad mad world, Oh I must watch that film again to cheer me self up.
HA HA HA! Bang on
Problem is agents will never ever act as one
Well I think we all know what the fall back plan is. It’s just a matter of time,,,,
I am amazed it has not already happend