OnTheMarket vs Property Passport UK — How They Compare

OnTheMarket vs Property Passport UK at a glance

OnTheMarket and Property Passport UK are often compared, but they solve different problems. OnTheMarket is an agent-owned UK property portal launched in 2015 as an alternative to Rightmove and Zoopla. Property Passport UK is the national property data registry for England and Wales — a single verified record per property, drawn from HM Land Registry, the EPC Register, Ordnance Survey, and the Environment Agency. There are 19.35 million properties in the registry, and search is free with no account required.

What OnTheMarket does well

OnTheMarket is owned by a coalition of UK estate agents and was set up to give them a lower-cost alternative to Rightmove. It carries hundreds of thousands of properties for sale and to let, with the same core marketplace experience: filter by location, price, bedrooms, and property type. OnTheMarket markets itself on offering "new and exclusive" listings 24 hours before they appear on Rightmove or Zoopla, when agents choose to do so.

What OnTheMarket does not do

OnTheMarket is a pure marketplace and only carries properties currently being marketed by an agent. It does not offer EPC data sourced from the official EPC Register, Environment Agency flood risk data, Historic England listed building status, or HM Land Registry title tenure. There is no way to look up a property that is not currently for sale, no way for a homeowner to claim and document their property, and no integration with official UK government data sources.

This is where Property Passport UK fits in. Because Property Passport UK is a registry rather than a marketplace, it covers every addressable property in England and Wales, not only the ones currently listed for sale. You can look up your own home, a rental property, a neighbour's house, or a property you are considering making an offer on — whether or not it is currently advertised by an estate agent.

What Property Passport UK does that OnTheMarket does not

Property Passport UK gives every property in England and Wales a permanent digital record, identified by its Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN). For each property, the platform shows verified data from official UK government sources:

• EPC rating and energy data sourced directly from the EPC Register, not the listing agent
• Sold price history from HM Land Registry Price Paid Data, going back to 1995
• Flood zone classification from the Environment Agency
• Listed building and conservation area status from Historic England and Local Authority records
• Title tenure (freehold or leasehold) from HM Land Registry
• Local authority and ward from Ordnance Survey AddressBase

Owners can claim their property and add documents — gas safety certificates, EICRs, planning consents, warranties, photos — into a free document vault. The Property Passport then becomes the single source of truth for the property and can be shared with conveyancers, surveyors, and buyers when selling.

When to use OnTheMarket

Use OnTheMarket as a complement to Rightmove and Zoopla when you are actively in the market and want to see if any agents have listed exclusively there first.

When to use Property Passport UK

Use Property Passport UK when you want to:

• Look up verified data on any property in England and Wales — not just ones for sale
• Check the EPC rating, flood risk, sold prices, or tenure of a property before making an offer
• Build a free digital record for your own home so you can share it with buyers, agents, or your conveyancer when the time comes
• Verify information you have been told about a property by an estate agent or seller
• Research a street, postcode, or area before you commit

Can I use both?

Yes, and most users do. OnTheMarket is the right place to find what is currently for sale or to let. Property Passport UK is the right place to look up what is true about any specific property — sold prices, EPC, flood risk, title tenure, and any documents the owner has uploaded.

A common workflow: find a property on OnTheMarket, then look it up on Property Passport UK to verify the EPC rating, check the sold price history, see the flood zone, and read any documents the owner has shared. This combination gives you the marketing information from the agent and the verified data from official government sources, side by side.

Related guides

• What to check when buying a house
• Sold house prices explained
• How to read an EPC certificate
• What is a UPRN and why does it matter

Summary

OnTheMarket and Property Passport UK serve different parts of the property market. OnTheMarket is the place to find homes for sale or to let. Property Passport UK is the place to look up verified data on any of the 19.35 million properties in England and Wales, whether or not they are currently on the market. Both are free for individuals.