Rightmove revises revenue forecasts amid AI spending boost

Rightmove has revised its revenue forecasts and revealed plans to double its artificial intelligence releases next year.

A stock market update for the period from July to the end of October signalled more investment in artificial intelligence under Rightmove IQ.

The update said the portal delivered 60% more releases than in the comparator period and is on track to double the pace of delivery.

Releases so far include conversation search, comparison tools and call transcription.

This has been a quarter of strong strategic progress, in which we delivered innovation at our fastest-ever pace, compounding on top of our trusted brand and powerful data.”

It comes as Rightmove revised its forecasts for revenue and profit growth for 2026 but has upgraded its guidance for underlying earnings per share amid what it describes as a subdued market.

It suggested revenue growth for 2026 will be 6% to 7%, compared with 6% to 8% guidance previously.

Average revenue per advertiser (ARPA) is expected to be £100-£110, compared with the previously expected £110-£120.

The portal said this reflects the dynamics in new homes impacting developer spend, with no change to estate agency ARPA expectations.

Rightmove has upgraded its underlying earnings per share growth thought to at least 7% compared with 5% previously.

The portal’s warned in the update that higher mortgage rates are impacting affordability and   

estate agent confidence is lower as a result, with buyer demand down 10% and sales agreed 9% lower, as ongoing record stock levels cause some downward pressure on house prices.

As of 31st October, the average house price was 0.3% below the equivalent one year ago, Rightmove says.

Rental properties saw an increase in enquiries per available property, with rental prices up 2.9% compared to a year ago.

New Homes remain subdued, with 6% fewer developments on site as of 31st October compared with 31st December 2025.

The update says: “The announcement of the government’s new first-time buyer scheme, Your First Home, has improved housebuilder optimism, but remains subject to implementation.

“Given the anticipated second quarter 2027 launch date, any positive impact on housebuilding volumes is expected to be later in 2027 and onwards.”

For 2027, Rightmove expects revenue growth similar to 2026 as the current end-market dynamics are expects to continue into next year. Underlying operating profit growth is expected to be between 4% and 7%. Underlying earnings per share growth of at least 10% has been forecast.

Johan Svanstrom (pictured), Chief Executive of Rightmove, says: “We are on track to deliver revenue and profit growth within our previous full-year guidance, and are upgrading our earnings per share guidance.  Our core membership remains stable with strong partner retention levels.  We continue to deliver value through all market cycles to our partners.  This business resilience and the debt facility we announced at the time of our interim results have allowed us to increase shareholder distributions significantly.

“This has been a quarter of strong strategic progress, in which we delivered innovation at our fastest-ever pace, compounding on top of our trusted brand and powerful data.  After a meaningful step up in capability, we have a well-invested, AI-ready platform.

“We continue to roll out quality AI solutions to both consumers and partners, leveraging the intelligence layer we create with supply and demand data, and our platform.”