Finding a home
OpenRent vs Rightmove: what changes for a renter
On Rightmove there is always a letting agent between you and the landlord. On OpenRent there usually is not. That one difference decides who holds your money, who you complain to if it goes wrong, and which checks are left to you.
England · Checked October 2026
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Check a property freePlain EnglishThe words on this page, explained
- Property portal
- A website that shows adverts for homes from lots of different agents, such as Rightmove or Zoopla. A portal does not let homes itself, does not show you round, and never holds your money. Think of it as a shop window.
- Letting agent (or “agent”)
- A business a landlord pays to rent out their home. Depending on what the landlord pays for, an agent may advertise the home, show you round, check your references, write the tenancy agreement and take your money. Some also manage the home after you move in, collecting rent and arranging repairs. High-street agents have offices and staff who deal with you. Online agents, such as OpenRent, do most of it through a website and leave more to the landlord.
- Private landlord
- Someone who owns a home and lets it out. When a guide says you are dealing with a private landlord, it means the landlord, not an agent, is the person you talk to, who shows you round and who you contact about problems.
- Complaints scheme (redress scheme)
- An independent service you can take a complaint about a letting agent to, free of charge, if the agent does not sort it out itself. Every letting agent in England must belong to one, and there are two: The Property Ombudsman and the Property Redress Scheme. An agent has to say which one it belongs to on its website and in its office. These schemes cover agents, not landlords. A complaints service for private landlords is planned but not yet running.
- Client money protection
- Cover that pays you back if a letting agent holding your rent or deposit goes out of business or loses the money. Any agent in England that holds tenants’ money must have it, and must show the certificate.
- Rent Now
- OpenRent’s name for applying for a home and paying through its website. You pay a holding deposit by debit card, OpenRent checks your references for free, everyone signs the tenancy agreement online, and you pay the deposit and first month’s rent to OpenRent, which passes the rent on to the landlord. It only applies if the landlord chooses to use it.
- Holding deposit
- Money you pay to take a home off the market while your application is checked. In England it can be no more than one week’s rent, and it must be returned or put towards your rent or deposit, except in a few cases, such as you pulling out.
- Deposit protection
- The main deposit you pay as a tenant must be held by one of three government-approved schemes (DPS, mydeposits or TDS), not kept by the landlord. It means you get it back at the end unless there is a fair reason for deductions, and there is a free service to settle disagreements.
- Tenant Fees Act
- The 2019 law that stops landlords and agents in England charging renters fees, such as for viewings, referencing or paperwork. The rent, capped deposits and a few specific charges are allowed.
What is the real difference for a renter?
Who is on the other side. Rightmove is a property portal: it does not let homes itself, and every rental on it is advertised by an estate or letting agent. OpenRent is an online letting agent that private landlords use to advertise and let their own homes, so on OpenRent you are usually dealing with the landlord directly. Most of what differs between the two follows from that.
- Who advertises
- Rightmove: registered estate and letting agents only. OpenRent: private landlords, through OpenRent.
- Who you talk to
- Rightmove: the agent named on the listing. OpenRent: usually the landlord, through OpenRent’s messages.
- Who arranges the viewing
- Rightmove: the agent. OpenRent: the landlord, after you book through the listing.
- Where the holding deposit goes
- Rightmove: to the agent, by whatever method they use. OpenRent: through Rent Now, by debit card, to OpenRent.
- Who writes the tenancy
- Rightmove: the agent or landlord. OpenRent: a digital contract, which the landlord can add clauses to.
Can private landlords advertise on Rightmove?
Not directly. Rightmove says it carries no private UK listings at all, and that an advertiser has to be a registered estate or letting agent belonging to a complaints scheme. A private landlord who wants to appear there has to go through an agent, which can be an online one.
So a Rightmove listing always has an agent behind it, but the landlord behind the agent can be anyone, and a few online agents do little more than post the advert. Read the listing for the agent’s name, then check the agent rather than the portal.
What protection do I get when an agent is involved?
Some that a private landlord does not have to give. A letting agent in England must belong to one of the two government-approved complaints schemes, The Property Ombudsman or the Property Redress Scheme, so you have somewhere independent and free to complain. If it holds rent or deposits, it must belong to a client money protection scheme. It must also publish its fees and those memberships on its website and in any office.
Business Companion sets out what a letting agent must do. If a listing’s agent shows none of it, ask which complaints and client money schemes they belong to before you pay anything.
Does OpenRent check the landlord?
OpenRent says it has systems to verify that a landlord owns the property, and that landlords get a verified badge once they have set up a tenancy through Rent Now. It does not say in detail how the check works, and it is a check on the landlord, not the home. Whether the property is safe, licensed or fairly priced is still for you to find out.
Once landlord registration opens, adverts will have to show the property’s entry on the national landlord database. Until then, checking who owns the property is the surest way to confirm the person letting it is the owner, or acting for them.
Where does my money go on each?
On OpenRent, if the landlord uses Rent Now, you pay a holding deposit of one week’s rent by debit card to OpenRent, which credits it to your first month’s rent once the contract is signed. OpenRent then collects the deposit and first month’s rent, protects the deposit with mydeposits, and releases the rent to the landlord ten days after you move in. Through an agent on Rightmove, you pay the agent, who must hold it under client money protection.
The risk on either platform is the payment that happens outside that route. OpenRent itself warns that money paid straight to a landlord is not protected by Rent Now. Rightmove says that neither it nor its agents would ever ask for money before a viewing, and asks you to report it to fraud@rightmove.co.uk if anyone does.
Will I pay fees on either?
You should not, beyond the rent and the deposits the law allows. OpenRent says tenants pay no admin or contract fees, and the landlord pays for referencing. On Rightmove the agent sets its own terms, but the Tenant Fees Act bans almost every charge to tenants in England, including viewing, referencing and admin fees, whoever is letting the home.
The Tenant Fees Act guidance for tenants on GOV.UK lists the payments that are allowed. A holding deposit is capped at one week’s rent.
Can the same home be on both?
Yes. OpenRent advertises its landlords’ homes on the big portals as well as its own site, and an agent may list the same home on more than one portal. If you spot the same photos under two different names and two different rents, treat it as a warning sign until you know why. Copied listings are a common way into a rental scam.
The RenterCheck browser extension shows the area’s rent, licensing and flood risk on listings on both sites, so you can compare them on the page.
Which is safer?
Neither platform makes a home safe, and both carry honest landlords and the occasional scam. What changes is where the checks fall. With an agent you can lean on its legal duties and its complaints scheme. With a private landlord on OpenRent you have their word and OpenRent’s process, and the checks on the home are yours to make.
- View the home in person, or send someone you trust, before you pay anything.
- Pay through the platform or agent’s own process, never to a personal account you were sent by message.
- On Rightmove, check the agent belongs to a complaints scheme (The Property Ombudsman or the Property Redress Scheme) and shows its fees.
- On OpenRent, check the landlord owns the home, and read any clauses they have added to the contract.
- Check whether the home needs a licence from the council, and whether it has one.
- Compare the rent with similar homes nearby. A rent well below the area is a reason to look harder.
Are homes cheaper on OpenRent?
Not reliably. Landlords using OpenRent avoid a full agent’s fees, but that is a saving to the landlord, and the rent is whatever the landlord asks. The only way to know whether a rent is fair is to compare it with similar homes in the same area, wherever you found it.
Comparing other sites? OpenRent vs Zoopla, Rightmove vs Zoopla and SpareRoom vs OpenRent. Wondering about OpenRent itself? See is OpenRent safe.
Found a place? Check it before you pay
Whichever site you found it on, the first money usually changes hands before you know much about the home or the person letting it. A free check covers the property and the area; the complete report adds the rent against similar homes nearby, the running costs, who owns it and whether it needs a licence.
Check a property freeSources: Rightmove on private listings and paying before a viewing; OpenRent’s FAQ and Rent Now pages; Business Companion on letting agents’ duties; and the Tenant Fees Act guidance on GOV.UK. RenterCheck is not connected with OpenRent or Rightmove, and platforms change how they work, so check their current terms. This guide covers common private tenancies in England and is general information, not legal advice. Different rules apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to lodgers, social housing and some specialist accommodation.
Check the landlord
Check who owns the home before you pay anything.
Whoever is letting it, the report compares the rent with similar homes nearby and shows whether the home needs a licence. The free check covers the energy rating, flood zone, crime nearby, conservation area and listed building status, and the sale history. Complete RenterCheck adds the rent comparison, the monthly running costs, licensing, and whether a company or a private individual owns it, and checks your tenancy agreement against the records.