Zoopla pivots to valuation‑driven model as UK homeowners hunt neighbour prices
The UK property portal is betting on “house envy” to grow its user base and improve profitability.
Zoopla has rolled out a fresh advertising push aimed at owners who want to peek at the value of the house next door. The campaign, displayed on the Elizabeth Line heading towards Oxfordshire, asks, “Want to know the value of your home? …and your boss’s second home in the Cotswolds?”
Why the shift matters
New chief executive Paul Whitehead, who arrived from used‑car platform Cazoo, says the portal is moving away from a pure transaction focus to become a valuation hub. “Our marketing approach this year has been predominantly around valuation,” he told City AM. “We pull customers in with a valuation message that then becomes an ongoing relationship.”
“We’re much more focussed on driving lead quality, driving data insights, driving return on investment to the partners that work with us across a broad spectrum.”, Paul Whitehead
The strategy appears to be paying off. After a £5.2m loss in the previous year, Zoopla reported a pre‑tax profit of £13.3m for 2025, helped by a near‑£20m write‑down of the estate‑agent arm Yourkeys. Homeowner registrations jumped 39 percent to 5.4 million, with another million added since then.
Competitive context
Zoopla’s profit remains modest compared with rival Rightmove, which posted a £290m pre‑tax profit and saw revenue rise nine percent to £425m. Whitehead acknowledges the different route: “The traditional portal approach has been monetising the activity that happens and the huge volumes of traffic that you have.” He adds that Zoopla is concentrating on lead quality and data insights for partners such as Connells, Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon.
Even as UK house prices have slipped for the first time in three years, according to recent market data, the portal’s focus on valuation data, delivering 25 percent more to partners in Q1, aims to keep users engaged regardless of market swings. The broader slowdown in property prices underscores why a resilient, data‑driven model could be a hedge against volatile sales cycles.
What’s next for Zoopla
Owned by Silver Lake Partners since its £2.2bn 2018 buy‑out, Zoopla plans to deepen its valuation tools and expand partnerships across the real‑estate ecosystem. If homeowner curiosity continues to drive traffic, the portal could narrow the profit gap with Rightmove and cement its role as the go‑to source for property insights, even in a subdued market.
