HomesMatter locks horns with Rightmove over lower fees

HomesMatter has requested an Office of Fair Trading investigation into Rightmove’s decision not to allow it to advertise on the property portal.

The recently established estate agency charges a flat fee of £899 plus VAT to sell a property, regardless of its value.

According to HomesMatter, Rightmove has declined the business because the estate agency fees will be substantially less than those charged by competitors, including Connells and Halifax, which are both Rightmove shareholders.

However, HomesMatter properties will appear on Globrix, Propertyfinder and fish4homes sites and the firm is arguing that Rightmove is protecting its shareholders and other mainstream estate agents from competition.

In addition to property sales, HomesMatter offers a conveyancing and removals package which it claims will save housesellers time and money.

HomesMatter also provides advice on a property’s energy efficiency and has plans to expand its offering to include a mortgage provider and leading retailers and other companies active in the home selling and buying process.

The company asserts that those using its services could reduce the average time taken to complete a conveyance to around 49 days compared to the industry average of 68 days.

Discuss this in the Finance Markets forums

Story link: HomesMatter locks horns with Rightmove over lower fees