Rightmove
The United Kingdom's largest online property portal, connecting property seekers with estate agents, landlords and other property advertisers.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Rightmove plc is a British digital property company that operates the Rightmove website and mobile application. Its platform is primarily used to search for homes and other property for sale or rent in the United Kingdom. It also supplies property professionals with listing distribution, advertising, market information and related services. The company was incorporated on 16 May 2000 and launched rightmove.co.uk in July of that year. Its founding shareholders were Countrywide plc, Halifax, Royal & Sun Alliance and Connells, reflecting the close relationship between the new portal and established participants in the British property market. Rightmove subsequently developed a two-sided platform: consumers receive a large searchable inventory of property, while estate agents and other property businesses pay to advertise listings and purchase additional promotional or data-related services. Rightmove became a public company through its listing on the London Stock Exchange on 15 March 2006. It is traded under the symbol RMV.L and has been a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. Its business model is focused on professional advertisers rather than private sellers; individuals selling property directly without an estate agent are not permitted to advertise homes on the platform. This gives Rightmove a concentrated commercial relationship with estate agencies and other property-sector customers while allowing it to build a broad audience of prospective buyers and tenants. The company's activities have expanded beyond basic listing search. Rightmove publishes a monthly House Price Index covering asking-price movements in England and Wales and provides tools and information intended to support property searches and decisions. It has also invested in adjacent services, including predictive analytics, tenant referencing, rent-guarantee products and tenant identity or information tools. In 2007 it acquired a majority stake in Holiday Lettings Limited, and in 2016 it acquired The Outside View, a London predictive-analytics business. In 2019 it acquired Van Mildert, a provider of tenant-referencing services and rent-guarantee insurance products. Leadership has included Peter Brooks-Johnson, who joined the company in 2006, became chief operating officer in 2013 and chief executive in 2017. He resigned as chief executive in 2022. Johan Svanström, previously associated with Expedia and McDonald's, became chief executive in February 2023. In 2019 Andrew Fisher was announced as chairman, succeeding Scott Forbes after Forbes had held the chair for more than 14 years. Rightmove remains centered on the United Kingdom residential property market. Its scale, listing inventory, consumer traffic and data products have made it a major intermediary between property professionals and the public. In 2024 it became the subject of a proposed takeover approach by Australia's REA Group. Rightmove's board rejected an informal proposal valued at approximately £5.6 billion, saying that it undervalued the company, and REA subsequently abandoned its pursuit without making a formal offer.
History
Rightmove was incorporated on 16 May 2000 and launched its website in July 2000. The venture was backed by four founding shareholders from the property and financial-services sectors: Countrywide plc, Halifax, Royal & Sun Alliance and Connells. Its initial purpose was to make property advertising and search available through a dedicated online portal, but its commercial structure soon developed into a two-sided marketplace. On one side were people looking for homes; on the other were estate agents and other professional advertisers seeking exposure for available properties. The platform's principal business remains the sale of property listings and additional advertising services to estate agents. Rightmove does not generally permit private individuals selling without an agent to advertise their properties. This professional-advertiser model supports a relatively consistent inventory and aligns the platform with the agency industry. The company has also built products around the core marketplace, including property-search tools, market information and analytical services. Its monthly House Price Index reports asking-price movements in England and Wales and has become one of the company's recognizable public data outputs. Rightmove became Rightmove plc and joined the London Stock Exchange on 15 March 2006. In 2007 it purchased 67% of Holiday Lettings Limited, extending its activity into holiday accommodation listings. One of its founding investors, HBOS, sold its stake in May 2008. The company's scale and data position continued to support growth in online property advertising, while its operations remained concentrated in the United Kingdom. Management changes marked the next phase of development. Peter Brooks-Johnson joined Rightmove in 2006, became chief operating officer in 2013 and was promoted to chief executive officer in 2017. In 2016 Rightmove was ranked by Forbes as the world's most innovative company, and in August of the same year it acquired The Outside View, a London predictive-analytics company. These developments reflected efforts to use data and technology beyond the basic publication of listings. Rightmove expanded its rental-related services during the late 2010s. It launched Tenant Passport in June 2018. In July 2019 it acquired Van Mildert, which supplied tenant-referencing services and rent-guarantee insurance products. In November 2019 the company announced Andrew Fisher as chairman, replacing Scott Forbes, who had served in the role for more than 14 years. Brooks-Johnson resigned as chief executive in May 2022, and Johan Svanström became chief executive in February 2023. Svanström brought previous experience associated with Expedia and McDonald's. The company continued to operate its website and application as its primary consumer interfaces while serving professional property advertisers through listing, promotional and information products. In September 2024 Rightmove faced an attempted strategic transaction. REA Group made an informal takeover proposal valued at about £5.6 billion, including an offer reported at 705 pence per share. Rightmove's board rejected the approach as opportunistic and said it undervalued the company. REA subsequently abandoned the plan without making a formal offer. The episode highlighted Rightmove's strategic importance within the UK property market and its value as a large, established online marketplace.
- 2024
Board rejects REA Group takeover approach
[1]Rightmove rejected an informal takeover proposal from REA Group, which later abandoned its pursuit without making a formal offer.
- 2023
Johan Svanström becomes chief executive
[1]Johan Svanström became chief executive in February 2023 after Peter Brooks-Johnson's departure.
- 2019
Van Mildert acquired
[1]Rightmove acquired Van Mildert, which provides tenant referencing and rent-guarantee insurance products.
- 2018
Tenant Passport launches
[1]Rightmove launched its Tenant Passport service in June 2018.
- 2016
Predictive-analytics expansion
[1]Rightmove acquired The Outside View, a London-based predictive-analytics company, in August 2016.
- 2008
HBOS sells its Rightmove stake
[1]HBOS, one of Rightmove's founding investors, sold its stake in the company in May 2008.
- 2007
Majority stake acquired in Holiday Lettings
[1]Rightmove acquired 67% of Holiday Lettings Limited.
- 2006
Rightmove becomes a listed company
[1]Rightmove first listed on the London Stock Exchange on 15 March 2006 and became Rightmove plc.
- 2000
Rightmove is incorporated and launches its website
[1]Rightmove was incorporated on 16 May 2000 and launched rightmove.co.uk in July 2000. Its founding shareholders were Countrywide plc, Halifax, Royal & Sun Alliance and Connells.
Products and positioning
The leading and most comprehensive UK property-search marketplace, combining a large consumer audience with paid listing, advertising, data and rental-related services for property professionals.
Online property marketplace · 2000
Rightmove property listings
The core Rightmove marketplace presents residential properties available for sale or rent in the United Kingdom. Listings are supplied primarily by estate agents and other professional property advertisers. Users can search by location and other property characteristics, while advertisers use the service to reach prospective buyers and tenants.
Mobile application
Rightmove mobile application
The Rightmove app provides a mobile interface for browsing and searching property listings. It extends the company's principal web marketplace to mobile users and supports the consumer side of Rightmove's platform model.
Property market data
Rightmove House Price Index
The House Price Index is a monthly publication showing movements in asking prices across England and Wales. It is one of Rightmove's principal public-facing data products and provides market commentary and information alongside the company's property-search services.
Rental technology · 2018
Rightmove Tenant Passport
Tenant Passport was introduced in June 2018 as a rental-related service intended to support the tenant and letting process. It forms part of Rightmove's expansion beyond property discovery into services associated with renting.
Holiday accommodation listings
Holiday Lettings
Holiday Lettings is a holiday-accommodation listing business in which Rightmove acquired a 67% stake in 2007. The acquisition extended Rightmove's marketplace activities into short-term and holiday property accommodation.
Tenant services
Van Mildert services
Van Mildert provides tenant-referencing services and rent-guarantee insurance products. Rightmove acquired the business in 2019, adding rental-risk and tenant-screening capabilities to its broader property-services portfolio.
Brand decisions
2024
Reject REA Group takeover proposalM&ABackground
REA Group approached Rightmove with an informal takeover proposal while Rightmove was operating in a challenging property-market environment.
Action taken
Rightmove's board rejected the approximately £5.6 billion proposal, including a reported offer of 705 pence per share, saying it undervalued the company.
Aftermath
REA Group abandoned its takeover plan without making a formal offer.
Indicative takeover value. Approximately £5.6 billion proposal rejected (September 2024)
2019
Acquire Van MildertM&ABackground
Rightmove sought to strengthen services associated with tenant screening and rental risk.
Action taken
Rightmove acquired Van Mildert, a provider of tenant referencing and rent-guarantee insurance products.
Aftermath
The acquisition expanded Rightmove's rental-related service capabilities.
2018
Launch Tenant PassportProduct launchBackground
Rightmove was expanding from listing search into services connected with the rental journey.
Action taken
The company launched Rightmove Tenant Passport in June 2018.
Aftermath
The launch added a tenant-focused service to Rightmove's rental offering.
2016
Acquire The Outside ViewM&ABackground
Rightmove was developing data and analytical capabilities related to the property market.
Action taken
Rightmove acquired The Outside View, a London-based predictive-analytics company.
Aftermath
The acquisition added predictive-analytics expertise to Rightmove's platform and data activities.
2007
Acquire a majority stake in Holiday LettingsM&ABackground
Rightmove sought to extend its online property marketplace beyond conventional residential sales and lettings.
Action taken
The company acquired 67% of Holiday Lettings Limited.
Aftermath
The transaction broadened Rightmove's activities into holiday accommodation listings.
Recent events
Skipton partners with Rightmove on mortgage climate risk[3]
Reported:
Skipton Building Society partnered with Rightmove to assess current and future risks for every property in Skipton's back book over the next 80 years, using data from Ambiental Risk Analytics. Rightmove will also help Skipton address climate-change regulatory requirements from the Bank of England.
Rightmove announces Alison Dolan as chief financial officer[4]
Reported:
Rightmove announced the appointment of Alison Dolan as chief financial officer, with the appointment due to take effect on 7 September 2020.
Sources4 sources
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