{"id":10147,"date":"2026-04-13T08:02:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T08:02:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/?p=10147"},"modified":"2026-04-13T08:02:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T08:02:39","slug":"former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/?p=10147","title":{"rendered":"Former Apprentice contestant criticises Rightmove fees"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kieran McCartney, an estate agent who appeared on The Apprentice, has added his voice to growing criticism of Rightmove\u2019s pricing structure, stating he will withdraw his business unless the portal reduces its fees.<\/p>\n

McCartney, who owns McCartney & Partners, described the portal as \u201cbloody expensive\u201d and urged fellow agents to \u201cbe strong\u201d in challenging Rightmove\u2019s annual fee increases. He suggested agents could reduce their reliance on the platform by utilising social media channels.<\/p>\n

Legal action and industry discontent<\/h2>\n

The criticism comes as legal action has been filed against Rightmove, with agents potentially set for a \u00a31.5 billion payout if claims that the portal abused its dominant market position prove successful. Last year, independent estate agent Shaun Adams launched a petition accusing Rightmove of \u201cbullying\u201d and \u201cdaylight robbery\u201d over its fee structure.<\/p>\n

The dispute over portal fees comes at a time when UK property sales have fallen 6.2% year-on-year despite listings growth<\/a>, potentially increasing pressure on agents\u2019 operating margins.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Career transition<\/h2>\n

McCartney, who became known for becoming the first candidate to voluntarily leave The Apprentice after failing a task he had promised to win, is currently selling his agency business. He previously worked for Rubicon and Sequence UK, becoming a branch manager at 21.<\/p>\n

He has been approached to manage a portfolio for another business, including a 2,500-unit development, and is considering whether to continue as an estate agent or establish himself as a property consultant.<\/p>\n

The broader property industry has faced regulatory scrutiny in recent months, with the Property Ombudsman expelling six firms over unpaid awards<\/a>, highlighting ongoing compliance challenges across the sector.<\/p>\n

Rightmove has not publicly responded to McCartney\u2019s comments. The portal remains the UK\u2019s largest property listing platform, though agents have increasingly questioned whether the cost justifies the return on investment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kieran McCartney, an estate agent who appeared on The Apprentice, has added his voice to growing criticism of Rightmove\u2019s pricing structure, stating he will withdraw his business unless the portal reduces its fees. McCartney, who owns McCartney & Partners, described the portal as \u201cbloody expensive\u201d and urged fellow agents to \u201cbe strong\u201d in challenging Rightmove\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7634,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-second-home"],"yoast_head":"\nFormer Apprentice contestant criticises Rightmove fees - Second Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.propertywire.com\/news\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Former Apprentice contestant criticises Rightmove fees - Second Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kieran McCartney, an estate agent who appeared on The Apprentice, has added his voice to growing criticism of Rightmove\u2019s pricing structure, stating he will withdraw his business unless the portal reduces its fees. McCartney, who owns McCartney & Partners, described the portal as \u201cbloody expensive\u201d and urged fellow agents to \u201cbe strong\u201d in challenging Rightmove\u2019s […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.propertywire.com\/news\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Second Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-13T08:02:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769093404_6961be9ba310d68600f5dde6.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1055\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"703\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.propertywire.com\\\/news\\\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/second-home.uk\\\/?p=10147\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/second-home.uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4d1b4955add7c14742a3be9aaae12292\"},\"headline\":\"Former Apprentice contestant criticises Rightmove fees\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-13T08:02:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/second-home.uk\\\/?p=10147\"},\"wordCount\":299,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.propertywire.com\\\/news\\\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/second-home.uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/1769093404_6961be9ba310d68600f5dde6.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Second Home\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/second-home.uk\\\/?p=10147\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.propertywire.com\\\/news\\\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\\\/\",\"name\":\"Former Apprentice contestant criticises Rightmove fees - Second Home\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/second-home.uk\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.propertywire.com\\\/news\\\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.propertywire.com\\\/news\\\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/second-home.uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/1769093404_6961be9ba310d68600f5dde6.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-13T08:02:39+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/second-home.uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4d1b4955add7c14742a3be9aaae12292\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.propertywire.com\\\/news\\\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.propertywire.com\\\/news\\\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.propertywire.com\\\/news\\\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/second-home.uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/1769093404_6961be9ba310d68600f5dde6.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/second-home.uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/1769093404_6961be9ba310d68600f5dde6.jpeg\",\"width\":1055,\"height\":703},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.propertywire.com\\\/news\\\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/second-home.uk\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Former Apprentice contestant criticises Rightmove fees\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/second-home.uk\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/second-home.uk\\\/\",\"name\":\"Second Home\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/second-home.uk\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/second-home.uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4d1b4955add7c14742a3be9aaae12292\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/be5e1ed89eef5f3974748e7fc92985bcfb2b595ca712f48dda78b019b41e95f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/be5e1ed89eef5f3974748e7fc92985bcfb2b595ca712f48dda78b019b41e95f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/be5e1ed89eef5f3974748e7fc92985bcfb2b595ca712f48dda78b019b41e95f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/second-home.uk\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/second-home.uk\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Former Apprentice contestant criticises Rightmove fees - Second Home","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.propertywire.com\/news\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Former Apprentice contestant criticises Rightmove fees - Second Home","og_description":"Kieran McCartney, an estate agent who appeared on The Apprentice, has added his voice to growing criticism of Rightmove\u2019s pricing structure, stating he will withdraw his business unless the portal reduces its fees. McCartney, who owns McCartney & Partners, described the portal as \u201cbloody expensive\u201d and urged fellow agents to \u201cbe strong\u201d in challenging Rightmove\u2019s […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.propertywire.com\/news\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\/","og_site_name":"Second Home","article_published_time":"2026-04-13T08:02:39+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1055,"height":703,"url":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769093404_6961be9ba310d68600f5dde6.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.propertywire.com\/news\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/?p=10147"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/4d1b4955add7c14742a3be9aaae12292"},"headline":"Former Apprentice contestant criticises Rightmove fees","datePublished":"2026-04-13T08:02:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/?p=10147"},"wordCount":299,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.propertywire.com\/news\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769093404_6961be9ba310d68600f5dde6.jpeg","articleSection":["Second Home"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/?p=10147","url":"https:\/\/www.propertywire.com\/news\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\/","name":"Former Apprentice contestant criticises Rightmove fees - Second Home","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.propertywire.com\/news\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.propertywire.com\/news\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769093404_6961be9ba310d68600f5dde6.jpeg","datePublished":"2026-04-13T08:02:39+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/4d1b4955add7c14742a3be9aaae12292"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.propertywire.com\/news\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.propertywire.com\/news\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.propertywire.com\/news\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769093404_6961be9ba310d68600f5dde6.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769093404_6961be9ba310d68600f5dde6.jpeg","width":1055,"height":703},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.propertywire.com\/news\/former-apprentice-contestant-criticises-rightmove-fees\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Former Apprentice contestant criticises Rightmove fees"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/","name":"Second Home","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/4d1b4955add7c14742a3be9aaae12292","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/be5e1ed89eef5f3974748e7fc92985bcfb2b595ca712f48dda78b019b41e95f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/be5e1ed89eef5f3974748e7fc92985bcfb2b595ca712f48dda78b019b41e95f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/be5e1ed89eef5f3974748e7fc92985bcfb2b595ca712f48dda78b019b41e95f3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/second-home.uk"],"url":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/?author=1"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769093404_6961be9ba310d68600f5dde6.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10147"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10147\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/second-home.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}