How to Advertise Your Rental Property on Rightmove & Zoopla

Rightmove and Zoopla are the two most visited property portals in the UK, generating over 150 million visits per month combined. Listing your rental property on these platforms puts it in front of the largest possible audience of active tenants. The problem? Neither portal allows individual landlords to list directly — you need to go through a letting agent or an approved listing service.

This guide explains every route available to UK landlords for getting their property on Rightmove and Zoopla in 2026, compares the costs and features of each option, and shows you how to create a listing that stands out from the competition. We also cover free alternatives and complementary channels that can help you find tenants faster.

Whether you want full portal exposure or a cost-effective mix of free and paid channels, this guide gives you a complete advertising strategy for filling your rental property quickly with quality tenants.

Why Rightmove and Zoopla Matter

The dominance of Rightmove and Zoopla in the UK rental market is overwhelming. These platforms are where the majority of tenants begin their search, and properties listed on them receive significantly more enquiries than those advertised elsewhere.

A property listed on Rightmove typically receives 3 to 5 times more enquiries than one listed only on free platforms. In competitive rental markets, the difference between a one-week void and a four-week void often comes down to portal visibility.

How to List on Rightmove Without an Agent

Rightmove does not accept listings directly from individual landlords. You must list through an approved channel. There are three main options:

Option 1: Online Listing Services

Several online services have agreements with Rightmove to syndicate landlord listings onto the portal. These are the most popular and cost-effective route:

Option 2: High Street Letting Agents

Traditional letting agents automatically list on Rightmove and Zoopla as part of their service. The cost is significantly higher: tenant-finding fees typically range from half a month's rent to a full month's rent (£500–£1,200), and full management adds 8–12% of monthly rent ongoing.

Using a high street agent makes sense if you want a completely hands-off service, but if you are happy to manage viewings and tenant selection yourself, online listing services offer the same portal exposure at a fraction of the cost.

Option 3: Hybrid Agents

Hybrid agents like Purplebricks (when available for lettings) or Howsy offer portal listings plus additional services (viewings, referencing, tenancy creation) at a fixed fee. Prices typically range from £200–£500 depending on the service package.

How to List on Zoopla

Zoopla's listing policies are similar to Rightmove's — no direct landlord listings. However, most listing services that provide Rightmove access also include Zoopla, often in the same package or for a small additional fee.

If your chosen service does not include Zoopla, you can often add it for £10–£30 extra. Given Zoopla's 55 million monthly visits, the additional cost is almost always worthwhile.

Creating a Listing That Gets Results

Being on Rightmove is not enough. Your listing needs to stand out from hundreds of similar properties. The three factors that determine how many enquiries you receive are: photographs, price, and description.

Photography

Photographs are the single biggest factor in a listing's performance. Properties with professional-quality photos receive 2 to 3 times more enquiries than those with amateur images.

• Clean every room thoroughly before photographing — spotless surfaces and clear floors
• Shoot in landscape orientation with maximum natural light (open all curtains, turn on all lights)
• Include at least 10 photos: every room, kitchen, bathroom, garden, exterior, parking
• Use a wide-angle lens or smartphone attachment for small rooms (avoid fisheye distortion)
• Include a floor plan — Rightmove data shows listings with floor plans get 30% more enquiries
• Remove personal items, clutter, and distracting objects from frame
• Photograph on a bright day — never in darkness or heavy rain
• Consider professional photography (£100–£200) for high-value properties

Pricing Strategy

Price is the second most important factor. On Rightmove, most tenants search with a maximum budget filter. If your property is priced even slightly above a common threshold (e.g., £1,050 instead of £1,000), you disappear from searches with a £1,000 maximum — losing a huge portion of your potential audience.

• Research comparable rents on Rightmove for your area, property type, and number of bedrooms
• Price at or slightly below the average to generate more enquiries and let faster
• If the market supports it, price just below round-number thresholds (£995 instead of £1,000, £1,195 instead of £1,200)
• Include a breakdown of what is included (bills, council tax, parking) to help tenants compare

Writing the Description

Lead with the strongest selling points in the first two sentences — this is what appears in the search results preview. Be specific and factual rather than using generic estate agent language.

Free and Low-Cost Alternatives

Portal listings should be part of your strategy, not all of it. Free channels can reach tenants who are not actively searching on Rightmove:

Managing Enquiries Efficiently

A well-priced property on Rightmove can generate 50 to 100+ enquiries within the first week. Managing this volume efficiently is critical — the best tenants move fast and will not wait days for a response.

• Respond within 2 hours: During business hours, reply to every enquiry within 2 hours. After hours, send an automated acknowledgement with viewing times.
• Pre-qualify before viewing: Ask basic qualifying questions (move-in date, affordability, reason for moving) before scheduling a viewing to avoid wasting time.
• Schedule viewings in blocks: Set up a single afternoon with 15–20 minute slots. This is efficient for you and creates a sense of demand.
• Use a booking system: Latch's enquiry management centralises all enquiries from multiple platforms and lets you schedule viewings from one place.
• Follow up after viewings: Contact attendees within 24 hours to ask if they want to apply. Good tenants are often considering multiple properties simultaneously.

Timing Your Listing for Maximum Impact

The UK rental market has clear seasonal patterns that affect how quickly you will find a tenant:

If you have flexibility on when to end a tenancy, aim for changeovers between February and September. A property listed in March will typically let 2 to 3 times faster than one listed in December.

From Listing to Tenancy: The Full Process

1. Prepare the property: clean, repair, photograph, create floor plan
2. List on Rightmove (via OpenRent or similar), SpareRoom, and Facebook Marketplace
3. Respond to enquiries within 2 hours and pre-qualify applicants
4. Schedule and conduct viewings over 1–2 viewing sessions
5. Select the strongest applicant and begin referencing immediately
6. Run credit check, employment verification, landlord reference, and Right to Rent check
7. Once references pass, issue the tenancy agreement and collect deposit plus first month's rent
8. Protect the deposit within 30 days and serve prescribed information
9. Conduct check-in inventory with photographs and hand over keys
10. Set up rent tracking in Latch and enjoy a fully occupied property