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Will AI replace property portals? That is the question being raised by one of the UK industry’s best-known portal pioneers, who believes artificial intelligence could fundamentally change how buyers search for homes and how agents generate leads…
According to Trevor Abrahmsohn, founder shareholder of agent-owned portal OnTheMarket and owner of luxury London agency Glentree Estates, the traditional portal model could be under serious pressure as smarter, conversational AI tools become mainstream – putting established platforms such as Rightmove at potential risk.
Abrahmsohn helped launch OnTheMarket before it was sold to US property analytics group CoStar Group.
He now believes artificial intelligence could allow estate agents to regain control of their own data and lead generation, reducing reliance on large third-party portals.
How AI is already changing property search
In a recent blog, Abrahmsohn explains that new AI-powered search tools and chat assistants can already search across multiple data sources at once and return highly tailored results for buyers.
Rather than scrolling through hundreds of listings, buyers can simply ask:
“Find me a three-bed near good schools under £1.5m with low council tax and a short commute.”
Within seconds, an AI system can create a shortlist of relevant homes.
Importantly, these tools can combine far more than listings alone. They can also draw on:
- valuation and market data
- neighbourhood and lifestyle insights
- historical price trends
- transport and commute information
This reflects wider industry research from organisations such as McKinsey & Company and Gartner, both of which highlight how generative AI and advanced search tools are expected to reshape how consumers discover and compare information online.
For estate agents, this raises a critical question: will AI replace property portals as the main starting point for buyers?
Will AI replace property portals like Rightmove?
Abrahmsohn directly compares today’s AI-led experiences with the current user journey offered by Rightmove.
He argues that the portal experience has changed very little in recent years and that buyers increasingly expect faster, more intuitive and more personalised search tools.
He writes:
“The user experience hasn’t changed much in years. Filters feel dated. Searches can feel clunky.
There’s always been a low-level frustration that ‘surely this could be smarter.’”
His central view is that if buyers begin their search with an AI assistant rather than a traditional portal, platforms such as Rightmove could quickly become less relevant.
From a wider technology perspective, this type of disruption is not unusual. Analysts consistently point out that when a new interface – such as conversational AI – sits between the consumer and existing platforms, the balance of power can shift rapidly.
In that context, it is reasonable to ask again: will AI replace property portals if buyers no longer need to visit multiple websites to find suitable homes, schools and local information?
Agents, data ownership and rising portal fees
One of the most significant implications for the industry is data ownership.
Abrahmsohn believes that AI will allow agents to build intelligent search and enquiry tools directly into their own websites. This would enable agents to capture and qualify leads without sending potential clients to third-party platforms.
He also links the changing technology landscape to investor confidence, writing:
“Perhaps this is the reason why the share price has halved in the last 12 months and on its way south.”
While share price movements are influenced by many factors, industry analysts regularly cite platform disruption and changing consumer behaviour as long-term risks for large digital marketplaces.
For many agencies, this strengthens the argument that will AI replace property portals is no longer a theoretical discussion, but a practical business question.
Will AI replace property portals or simply reshape them?
A more balanced industry view is that AI is more likely to reshape portals rather than eliminate them entirely in the short term.
Major platforms still benefit from:
- strong consumer brands
- very large volumes of property stock
- years of buyer trust
However, their role may change. Instead of being the default starting point for searches, portals could become one of several data sources accessed by AI assistants.
This aligns closely with the wider trends identified by McKinsey & Company and Gartner, both of which point to AI becoming a personalised gateway between consumers and complex information ecosystems.
For estate agents, the real opportunity lies in using the same technology themselves.
As Abrahmsohn concludes:
“If agents can generate leads through their own AI-powered tools and websites, why keep paying ever-rising portal fees?”
Whether or not will AI replace property portals becomes a reality, one thing is clear: AI-driven discovery and search tools are set to play a central role in how buyers find property in the years ahead.
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