Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by The Negotiator. Read the original article for full details.

Estate Agents Voice Fears of Rightmove Retaliation in £1.5bn Legal Case

Estate agents have raised concerns about potential retaliation from Rightmove if they provide evidence in a £1.5 billion class action lawsuit against the property portal. Lawyers for the claimants told a tribunal that a “significant number” of agents were worried about “adverse commercial consequences”.

The concerns were presented during the first hearing of the Competition Appeal Tribunal class action against Rightmove, brought by Jeremy Newman, a former panel member of the Competition and Markets Authority and director of Clarion Housing Group. Since the claim was announced in November last year, more than 250 estate agencies from across Britain are understood to have expressed support for the action.

The legal claim alleges that Rightmove abused its position as the dominant property portal by charging estate agents “excessive” and “unfair subscription fees”. The action is being taken on behalf of thousands of agents who were allegedly overcharged by Rightmove.

In a witness statement, Jeremy Newman said that estate agents had “expressed a concern that they might face retaliatory conduct from Rightmove or that their commercial relationship with Rightmove would be jeopardised should their name be made public or associated with the claim”, according to the Financial Times.

A barrister representing Rightmove told the tribunal that the company “completely rejects the suggestion” of retaliation, stating that Rightmove “sees them [agents] as partners” and that it “would be shooting itself in the foot” if it retaliated.

A Rightmove spokesperson told The Negotiator that the company is confident in the value it provides to partners and consumers, and “completely rejects the idea that we would retaliate against any agents who engaged with Mr Newman’s proposed class action”. The spokesperson added that Rightmove’s business is built on long-term commercial partnerships with estate agents, based on direct engagement, transparency, and a shared understanding of services provided. Rightmove stated that the claim is without merit and will be defended vigorously.