Glasgow agents coughing up the most commission to Rightmove
The latest research from The Property DriveBuy reveals that Britain’s estate agents are paying an average of 7.2% of their sales commission to Rightmove, with agents in Glasgow and Newcastle taking the biggest hit from the property portal market leader.
The Property DriveBuy has compared the estimated average sales commission of an estate agent in Great Britain* with the average monthly fee paid to advertise with Rightmove* to see what proportion of their income agents are having to give to the portal giant.
With an average house price of £275,923*, and an average agency fee of 1.4%, the average British agent is earning a commission of £3,918 per property sold. With the average branch selling 5.4 properties per month, this equates to a total monthly commission income of £21,158.
Meanwhile, the average revenue received by Rightmove for each advertiser, or agent, stands at £1,524. As such, agents in Britain are giving Rightmove 7.2% of their commission.
However, The Property DriveBuy’s analysis of eight major British cities shows that in some parts of the nation, agents are paying a significantly larger chunk of their hard earned income to the portal.
Agents in Glasgow are being hit the hardest. A low average house price of £190,165, and a low average fee of just 1.1% means the average monthly commission stands at £11,296. Rightmove’s fees, therefore, account for 13.5% of earnings.
It’s a similar story in Newcastle where agents are giving Rightmove 12.4% of monthly commission, followed by Liverpool (10.8%), Edinburgh (9.5%), Cardiff (8.7%), Manchester (8.7%), and Birmingham (8.7%).
London, however, is an outlier. A staggering city average house price of £565,567 creates an average monthly commission income of £51,919 for agents in the capital. As such, Rightmove’s fees account for just 2.9% of earnings.
Rightmove fees keep rising
Rightmove’s fees have long been a point of contention and frustration for Britain’s agents, and this is only exacerbated by the fact that the portal keeps increasing its demands. In 2022, the average annual Rightmove fee stood at £15,768 before rising to £17,172 in 2023. Then, 2024 saw a further increase of 6.5% to bring the average annual cost to £18,288.
Previous research from The Property DriveBuy has shown agents feeling increasingly hard done by with these fee increases, describing fees as ‘unreasonably’ high, while saying the portal’s constant price hikes are ‘unjustified’ due to the lack of added value that Rightmove has introduced to the platform.
Steve Foreman, Founder and CEO of The Property DriveBuy, commented
“It’s clear from our research that many agents are paying a disproportionate share of their hard-earned commission to Rightmove, particularly in regions where property values and fees are lower. At a time when operating costs are already under pressure, this model feels increasingly unsustainable for independent agents.
The Property DriveBuy was created to offer a genuine alternative – a fairer, modern way to connect buyers and properties without hitting agents with heavy fees. Our platform is completely free for agents to use, allowing them to retain more of their income and reinvest in what truly matters: providing great service to clients and growing their businesses.”
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