Rightmove vs Property Passport UK — How They Compare

Rightmove vs Property Passport UK at a glance

Rightmove and Property Passport UK are often compared, but they solve different problems. Rightmove is the UK's largest property listings portal, founded in 2000 and used by most estate and letting agents in the country. 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 Rightmove does well

Rightmove is the dominant marketplace for residential property listings in the UK. It carries the largest inventory of homes for sale and to let, with over 1 million active listings at peak times. Search by location, price, bedrooms, and a wide range of filters. Includes saved searches, instant alerts, agent contact details, virtual tours where supplied, and the ability to book viewings directly through the platform. Rightmove also publishes a respected House Price Index based on listing data.

What Rightmove does not do

Rightmove only carries properties currently advertised by an estate or letting agent. Once a property is sold or let, it disappears from the listings. Rightmove does not give you any data on a property that is not currently on the market — you cannot look up your own home, a rental you are already in, or a property you are curious about. Listing data such as EPC rating, floor plan, and tenure is supplied by the agent, not verified against official sources, and is sometimes missing or out of date. Rightmove also does not show flood risk, listed building status, or conservation area designations.

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 Rightmove 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 Rightmove

Use Rightmove when you are actively looking to buy or rent and want to see everything currently on the market. The inventory is the largest in the UK, the search filters are mature, and most agents post here 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. Rightmove 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 Rightmove, 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

Rightmove and Property Passport UK serve different parts of the property market. Rightmove 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.