Can AI-powered search platform push out Rightmove for renters?
Boss of global architecture firm takes on Rightmove with AI-powered search platform where renters describe where they want to live
An AI-powered start-up launched by the former boss of a major architecture business wants to disrupt the duopoly of Rightmove and Zoopla by enabling renters to find homes by using normal everyday language – as opposed to simply being driven by postcodes.
This has the power to revolutionise property search by opening up thousands of places that tenants might not have previously considered because current sites have not evolved to enable real language search, something AI now enables in everyday life.
Steven Charlton, former European boss of Perkins&Will, created nHabit initially as a way to measure vibrancy around schemes being designed by his new design house. His team patented new mapping software referencing points of interest across London that could be triangulated to calculate how attractive an area could be. Combined with the large language model his team also built, he found the software had another use: helping renters find properties in a more human way.
The model will come as a further blow to Rightmove which is facing a £1.5 billion lawsuit from competitors complaining about its position. Charlton built nHabit to help make it easier for smaller agents to succeed in a market dominated by a few big players.
Steven Charlton, founder at nHabit, said: “Instead of following the herd to the same old post codes, our aim is to enable people to search naturally for a place to live the way they’d discuss their perfect holiday with ChatGPT.
Renters can now find places they may not have previously discovered. For landlords, it enables them to be able to promote high quality homes that may not get the showcase they deserve due to their post code. For agents, it simply breaks the monopoly of the major platforms whilst opening up the potential for new fees and a much better customer experience.”
nHabit is targeting estate agents, build-to-rent operators, co-living providers and private landlords, without locking clients into long-term contracts. To mark its London launch, nHabit is running a consumer prize draw offering one UK resident £18,000 in cash, equivalent to 12 months of rent at £1,500 per month. The competition runs from 19th June to 31 August 2026, is open to UK residents aged 18 and over.
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