A Battle to Level the Playing Field
Backing the lawsuit, Ian Garrard, managing director of Innsworth Advisors, the advisory firm to the case’s litigation funder, said the claim aims to “level the playing field for businesses up and down the country.”
“This is about deterring anti-competitive behavior and correcting the imbalance between big and small players in the property sector,” Garrard added, emphasizing that smaller agents have long been at a disadvantage in negotiations with the portal giant.
Rightmove’s Response: Defiant Confidence
Rightmove confirmed Thursday that it had received notice of a potential class action, but expressed confidence in its position. “We’re confident in the value we provide to our partners,” a company spokesperson said.
The platform, which dominates the UK’s digital real estate landscape, has long been viewed as indispensable for agents, a status that now stands at the center of the legal storm.
The Legal Team and What Comes Next
Newman is being represented by Kieron Beal KC of Blackstone Chambers, instructed by Scott+Scott UK LLP, a firm known for leading major competition law claims.
Counsel information for Rightmove has not yet been disclosed.
If successful, the lawsuit could reshape the financial dynamics of the UK’s property sector, marking one of the largest competition claims in British history—a showdown that pits thousands of small agents against one of the market’s most powerful players.
