A £1.5bn legal claim has now been lodged against Rightmove, alleging unfair subscription fees and abuse of market dominance. The action, brought on behalf of thousands of estate agents, centres on the claim that agents have had little real choice but to absorb repeated price increases due to Rightmove’s overwhelming share of consumer attention.

Rightmove strongly disputes the claim, but the case itself shines a spotlight on a much wider issue across the property sector: reliance on a single dominant platform.

Why this matters beyond estate agents

While the legal action is being driven by estate agents, the implications extend across the entire property market.

Housebuilders and developers rely heavily on agents, portals and third‑party platforms to reach buyers. When one platform controls the majority of consumer traffic, costs rise, flexibility reduces and businesses lose leverage.

This isn’t just a pricing issue – it’s a resilience issue.

The risk of over‑dependence on one channel

When too much demand flows through one portal:

• marketing costs become harder to control
• data and customer insight sit outside your business
• changes in pricing or policy directly impact margins
• innovation slows because alternatives struggle to compete

For developers and housebuilders, this can quietly increase reliance on agents and portals without building any owned demand of their own.

What smarter operators are doing differently

Across the sector, we’re seeing more businesses take steps to reduce dependency on any single platform by:

• strengthening their own digital presence
• investing in direct enquiry channels
• improving visibility of stock and developments through owned websites
• using data and CRM systems to understand buyer demand earlier

The goal isn’t to abandon portals – it’s to balance them.

Why control and visibility matter more now

As regulatory scrutiny increases and market pressure continues, the businesses that perform best will be those with clearer control over:

• where enquiries come from
• how much each channel actually costs
• how buyers move from interest to instruction or reservation

Relying entirely on third parties makes that harder.

The bigger picture for the property sector

This legal action doesn’t mean the market will change overnight. But it does highlight a growing frustration across the industry about rising costs, limited competition and lack of control.

For housebuilders, developers and estate agents alike, the message is simple: building stronger, more direct routes to market is no longer optional. It’s becoming a commercial necessity.

Margins are tighter, programmes are under greater scrutiny, and compliance is no longer something that can be managed retrospectively. For many housebuilders, success now depends on how well information is controlled, shared and acted upon across sites and teams.

Below, we explore the biggest challenges facing the housebuilding sector in 2026 – and what progressive developers are doing to stay ahead.