A new UK-wide property search platform, The Property DriveBuy, has pledged not to follow the path of major portals by implementing steep, double-digit fee increases for agents.
The launch comes amid growing frustration within the industry over the rising costs of using major property portals such as Rightmove, Zoopla, and OnTheMarket.
According to research commissioned by The Property DriveBuy, three-quarters of estate agents believe that recent portal price increases are exorbitant and unjustified, particularly given the perceived lack of added value in return.
The survey results show:
75% of agents say recent price hikes are excessive
58% feel there has been no meaningful improvement in the services offered
42% say portal offerings have only improved marginally
Despite widespread dissatisfaction, only 56% of agents have actively explored marketing alternatives outside the dominant portals.
Among those who have:
43% have used social media
26% have used leaflets/door drops
17% have hosted open houses
14% have tried print advertising
Social media was seen as the most effective alternative (56%), followed by leafleting (18%), print advertising (15%), and open houses (12%).
Further analysis by The Property DriveBuy highlights the widening gap between agent numbers and portal revenue. For example, while the number of estate agents advertising on Rightmove has increased by just 0.4% since 2021, the platform’s average monthly revenue per advertiser has jumped by 28.2%.
In 2021, Rightmove’s average monthly revenue per advertiser stood at £1,189
By 2024, it had risen to £1,524, including a 6.5% increase in 2024 alone
No agents surveyed said the portals’ improvements fully justify these rising costs.
In response, The Property DriveBuy offers what it describes as a genuine alternative. The platform uses a geo-location search function to help users discover properties based on where they are, rather than only by postcode or area.
To encourage uptake, the app is currently free for agents — with no payment details or commitments required. A fixed subscription price of £199 per month, per agency will be introduced later, but only after the platform has demonstrated sufficient lead generation results.
Some early adopters, such as Ashford & Moult in Nottinghamshire, are already reporting positive results.
Steve Foreman, founder and CEO of The Property DriveBuy, commented: “The major portals have become so ubiquitous with house hunting that they’ve now got a stranglehold on estate agents who understandably feel like they have no option but to be visible on those platforms.
“This dominance has given the likes of Rightmove a dictatorial mindset in which they hike their fees year on year without making any genuine effort to innovate or offer greater value for money.
“As such, the search algorithms they force buyers and renters to use are stuck in the past, despite the fact that they’re known to result in house hunters missing out on dream properties simply because they fall very slightly outside the tight search parameters that the portals insist on.
“We are determined to address this issue and prove that there is another, more innovative way, to help buyers discover homes and sellers to attract buyers.
“Of course, it’s reasonable to expect portal costs to increase gradually in line with inflation, but our promise is that we will never implement the outrageous double-digit fee increases seen by other portals and, our current price of £199 per month, per agency, will stay fixed for the next three years, at least.
“We want to become the portal that agents rely on, but for the right reasons – a more cost effective way for agents to market their properties using revolutionary technology, with a transparent pricing structure.”
