Landlord Products / Services
TheHouseShop.com – the property website that lets you advertise your property for free, whether you’re selling or letting.
Spoiler: As tempting as “free” sounds, I’d recommend giving their services a miss – it’ll probably save you some time in the long run. There are better free (and relatively cheap) options available…
What does TheHouseShop do?
In nutshell, TheHouseShop.com is a property portal that allows sellers, landlords, and estate agents to advertise properties for free on their website.
They generated revenue by upselling “featured listings” that give properties more exposure, along with a bunch of auxiliary services to support the sales and lettings process – things like cleaning, insurance, and more. As far as I can tell, these services are outsourced to third-party providers, with TheHouseShop simply earning a commission from the referrals.
Admittedly, I was once an advocate of their service – and I did see value in using their free platform to market properties for sale or let – I’ve always been transparent about one thing: I never believed their brand or platform was strong enough to rely on as a sole marketing tool. I consistently recommended using their service alongside an online agent that could get your property listed on Rightmove and Zoopla – because that’s where the real exposure comes from.
In other words, I always saw TheHouseShop.com as a worthwhile complementary marketing tool, and never the main event. But sadly, even that ship has sailed.
Why I Wouldn’t Recommend TheHouseShop today!
Boy, where do I begin?
- Horrendous reviews – Just take a glance at their TrustPilot profile. It’s littered with scathing feedback, many of which report the same issues.
Honestly, I’m surprised they’re still holding a 1.7/5 rating (at the time of writing this).
- They ghosted me – I was once an affiliate partner, sending them leads in exchange for a referral fee. Then, out of nowhere, they went completely silent – I have no idea why. I chased them multiple times for updates – nothing. The whole thing felt rude, unprofessional, and honestly, left a pretty sour taste in my gob.
It’s fair to say they’ve been dead to me ever since, and I haven’t recommended them to a single soul since that day.
I know this might sound like a bitter ex grinding an axe, but I’m simply laying out the facts.
- Customer support seems non-existent – From my own experience (as an affiliate) and reviews left by customers, TheHouseShop’s customer service is, to put it mildly, abysmal. When I visited their HQ, they had a sizable team (no idea what everyone did, but I was surprised by how many worker bees there were!). I get the sense that is no longer the case. It feels like the support has largely been handed over to automated systems.
- Inactive socials – I’m honestly not sure how active their site even is anymore (i.e. whether new listings are actually going live or being updated). But their social media presence? Pretty much dead. Their Facebook page hasn’t been updated since 2021, and their Twitter account since 2023. Not exactly a confidence booster.
- Better alternatives available – Honestly, even if we set all the other issues aside, the reality is this: there are far more effective ways to market a property – both free and low-cost. In my view, these alternatives offer significantly better value and lead generation potential, whether you’re selling or letting.
I think I’ll stop there.
My Recommended Alternatives to TheHouseShop (That are also FREE)!
Free Online Estate Agent (Sales)
| Estate Agent | Rating | Duration | Includes / Notes | Price from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PurpleBricks | RatingTrustPilot Reviews | Duration 12 months | Includes / NotesFree package
| PriceFREE | Visit WebsiteBook Free In-Person Valuation |
Purplebricks! Yes, The Purplebricks, actually offers a free house-selling service – and frankly, I think it’s so much better than both TheHouseShop’s current offering and what they had back when I used to be a fan.
Like TheHouseShop, Purplebricks’ free package only gets your property listed on their own website. But the reality is, Purplebricks is a much bigger, more recognised brand, so you’re more likely to get traction and leads from their platform. Plus, they offer a free in-person valuation from a local agent. So that’s pretty cool.
That said, the same caveat applies: I’d only use Purplebricks’ free service alongside another service that gets your property on Rightmove and Zoopla, because no matter how big Purplebricks is, it still doesn’t come close to the power of those two portals.
Bottom line: if you want maximum exposure, listings on Rightmove and Zoopla are non-negotiable.
Purplebricks does allow you to upgrade their free package so your property also gets listed on Rightmove and Zoopla, but that’ll set you back at least £599 (that’s for the “Advert Listing” add-on). So now we’re no longer talking “free” or even particularly “cheap”
You can read my full review of the Purplebricks Free Service for all the details.
However, if you’re serious about selling your home quickly, then Rightmove and Zoopla exposure is a must. So if you’re going to spend the money, it’s worth knowing that there are far cheaper ways to get that same essential coverage – and they pair perfectly with Purplebricks’ free package (a position I was previously filling with TheHouseShop).
We’re talking as little as £64, not £599.
| Estate Agent | Rating | Duration | Includes / Notes | Price from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Visum | RatingTrustPilot Reviews | Duration 1 month | Includes / NotesPlus package
| PriceDiscount price£64 Inc VAT | Visit Website£15 Discount Code: PIP1 |
Here’s a list of the best UK online estate agents that will list your property for sale on Rightmove & Zoopla, so you can scope out all your options.
Free Market Places for Lettings
Not to stick to TheHouseShop or anything, but I really do believe any of the following platforms would be more effective for landlords looking to generate tenant enquiries.
| Service | Notes / Includes | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
Service | Notes / IncludesAdvertise on Gumtree for Free
| Price Free | Visit Website |
Service | Notes / IncludesAdvertise on Facebook Marketplace for Free
| Price Free | Visit Website |
Service | Notes / IncludesAdvertise on SpareRoom for Free
| Price Free | Visit Website |
I actually think it’s entirely possible – perhaps even likely – to find tenants using any of the free platforms, especially if you use them in combination. However, I’d still strongly recommend pairing them with an online letting agent that gets your property listed on Rightmove and Zoopla. These agents charge as little as £40 or so, so we’re not talking big money here.
| Letting Agent | Rating | Term | Includes / Notes | Price from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Emoov | RatingTrustPilot Reviews | Duration 3 months | Includes / NotesLet Your Property package
| Price£39.5 Inc VAT | Visit Website |
Here’s a full guide and list of my recommended Online Letting Agents:
Conclusion
- TheHouseShop.com: A hard pass from me, for both sales and lettings.
- For sellers: Purplebricks’ free package is worth considering, but pair it with an online estate agent that offers affordable listings on Rightmove and Zoopla.
- For landlords: Definitely explore the three marketplaces I mentioned, but for the best chance of finding a tenant quickly, combine them with an online letting agent that lists on Rightmove and Zoopla.
- You get what you pay for: I still stand by opening remarks, that I believe these free solutions are best used as complimentary marketing tools. Obviously I totally get the attraction with flogging or letting a property for free, and yes, I believe it’s entirely possible by only using the platforms I’ve shared. That said, for a relatively small spend, you can significantly boost visibility on your advert and dramatically boost your chances of achieving quicker results. Honestly, it’s money very well spent.
Landlord out xo
Disclaimer: I'm just a landlord blogger; I'm 100% not qualified to give legal or financial advice. I'm a doofus. Any information I share is my unqualified opinion, and should never be construed as professional legal or financial advice. You should definitely get advice from a qualified professional for any legal or financial matters. For more information, please read my full disclaimer.
My only experience with TheHouseShop is when they STOLE my ad from Gumtree. Copied and pasted, no permission asked even under disguise. I only realised when enquiries kept coming in after I took the original ad down as the new tenants moved in.
A very poor way to increase the size of their website.
It took quite a few emails, unhappy telephone conversations and bit of my time also to convince them I do not wish to advertise with them.
They may be free but I do not recommend.