Rightmove to Boost Lettings Offerings, to the Chagrin of Some

Rightmove is making waves in the UK market as it announces plans to dip its toes into the lettings sector in order to offer it a better option for those looking to rent in the UK. 

The announcement details a five-phase plan for its new lettings service that will offer consumers step-by-step help when it comes to finding a lead to signing the lease. And on the agent side, Rightmove explains that agents can decide how much of this process they can offer their own customers.

Speaking of the new service is Christian Balshen, Rightmove’s Head of Lettings who also serves Van Mildert, a rental platform that Rightmove acquired in 2019. Balshen says the product has beta’d virtual tours and appointment booking but it's not enough for the market. He explained that the goal is to put power in the hands of the agents and the customers. Pre-qualified tenants will be connected to agents to help book appointments online through the Viewings Manager tool. He told The Negotiator:

“Our solution isn't to start with fewer leads and reduce the choice of tenants, it's to provide a high number of qualified leads and maximize the opportunity to find the most suitable tenant for each property. Our next job is to help agents deal with these leads efficiently.”

To do this, Balshen explained that within the next three months, the service will begin integration with the top CRMs in the market. Agents will be able to snag a reference as easily as a single click and onboard tenants more efficiently. 

Balshen said:

“This new approach is yet another step forward in helping lettings agents to continue to be as successful as possible.”

Rightmove is already a heavy-hitter in the UK market. Being the most popular property platform in the country, some can only compete by offering whatever Rightmove doesn't cover. Now that it's entering the Lettings sector more seriously, this poses trouble for platforms that have focused on the rental segment, putting yet another target on Rightmove's back.