Broadband and other utility switching searches skyrocket as home movers look for better value

  • Searches to switch broadband suppliers have increased 113% since the property market reopened for business.
  • Other search terms such as ‘changing address’, ‘self-storage’ and ‘energy provider’ have also increased notably.
  • ‘Broadband’ and ‘estate agent’ are the highest-ranking searches in terms of interest

Previous data from home setup service Just Move In found that since the property market reopened in May, the number of people moving home has increased by 29%. Their latest market analysis highlights the importance of utility providers during this process and how estate agents can add value in the current climate by considering this aspect of moving home.

Just Move In analysed several key search terms around moving house both since the property market opened on the 13th May and during the period of lockdown seen before this. The research looked at the highest scoring in terms of overall interest and which had seen the most significant increase in search volumes since the property industry lockdown was eased.

Biggest increases

With many of us now reliant on our home broadband to power our professional lives as well, it comes as no surprise that ‘broadband switch’ has seen a 113% increase in search volume since the property market reopened.

‘Changing address’ and ‘self-storage’ were also some of the search terms with the highest uplift, increasing 106% and 102% respectively.

‘Energy provider’, ‘home insurance’, ‘home removal’, ‘energy switch’ and ‘tv license’ had also seen some of the largest increases in search volume.

Highest overall interest

When comparing search term volumes between the initial period of lockdown and the period since the property market reopened for business, the term ‘estate agents’ has only seen a 27% increase.

However, it remains one of the most robust searches in terms of overall interest in the UK. With an average interest score of 80, only the search term ‘broadband’ scores higher (83).

‘Council tax’, ‘home removal’, ‘energy switch’, ‘broadband switch’ and ‘energy provider’ are also amongst some of the highest-ranking search terms where the average interest score is concerned.

Top 10 largest increases in search term volume
United Kingdom
Search Term
Change (%)
Broadband Switch
113%
Change of address
106%
Self-Storage
102%
Energy provider
99%
Home Insurance
92%
Home Removal
89%
Energy Switch
83%
TV License
78%
Broadband
39%
Council Tax
34%
Change relates to the search term volume increase between 24/03/2020 – 12/05/2020 and 13/05/2020 – 27/06/2020.
Top 10 highest scoring search terms for average interest
United Kingdom
Search Term
UK Average Interest Score
Broadband
83
Estate Agent
80
Council Tax
60
Home Removal
58
Energy Switch
49
Broadband Switch
25
Energy Provider
18
Home Insurance
18
Moving Home
13
Television
12
Average Interest Score relates to search term interest between 01/01/2020 and 27/06/2020.

Properganda PR

National and local media coverage for property businesses. Journo quotes delivered in minutes.

You May Also Enjoy

Letting Agent Talk

Landlords and tenants advised to work together to get through extreme heatwaves

With some areas set to be hotter than Portugal this week, lettings and estate agents across the UK are issuing advice to protect properties ahead of extreme weather Prolonged periods of hot weather across the UK are placing additional pressure on homes, from overheating and poor ventilation to damage caused by extreme temperatures. Today, lettings…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Nearly half of UK home listings fail to sell

A London estate agent has warned that thousands of homeowners across the UK are pricing themselves out of the market by setting asking prices that no longer reflect what buyers are willing to pay. The warning comes after new analysis by Zoopla, covering more than two million property listings between 2023 and 2026, found that…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Lowest number of new build developments coming to market since 2017

New analysis from the UK’s largest property platform Rightmove reveals that the number of new build housing developments coming to market is at its lowest level since January 2017 The figures are despite the government’s target to build 1.5 million homes over the course of this parliament Higher mortgage rates continue to set a challenging…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

What Every Estate Agent Should Tell Clients Before Moving Day

For most estate agents, the job is done once contracts are exchanged, completion takes place, and the keys are handed over. For your client, however, that’s when one of the biggest challenges begins. Moving day has the power to turn months of excitement into an incredibly stressful experience, or a smooth finish to what has…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 9/7/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   PropTech is evolving but WhatsApp is still winning the Property transaction battle A home-moving process that a decade of PropTech failed to fix   Thought leadership by Olivier Jauniaux Founder of NestLink There are a particular series of messages, somewhere in every property chain, that decides whether…
Read More
Breaking News

Heatwaves haven’t diminished love for south-facing gardens

The latest research from Yopa reveals that despite 81% of people saying they have been avoiding their garden during the recent heatwaves, south-facing gardens continue to be the preferred orientation of choice for UK homeowners, attracting house price premiums of over £20,000 on average. However, the insight from Yopa also suggests that should heatwaves become…
Read More