"The fact that so many people are peeking inside their neighbours’ homes tells you everything you need to know about how Britain feels about property, it fascinates us, it entertains us, and it connects us"
- Graham Paterson - Jitty
A new survey from Jitty shows that 28% of UK adults admit to browsing property websites simply to look inside their neighbours’ homes, revealing how widespread curiosity about other people’s lifestyles has become.
Regional results suggest this habit varies significantly across the country. The North East and South West report the highest proportion of self-confessed property snoopers at 36%. The South East follows at 35%, while the East of England reaches 31%, Yorkshire and the Humber 30%, and Wales 29%. London and the West Midlands sit lower at 24%, and Northern Ireland, at 19%, is the least likely to browse listings out of curiosity.
The poll of 2,000 adults, conducted by Jitty, the UK’s AI-driven property portal, indicates that property browsing has become a popular leisure activity. While 25% of respondents say they look at listings purely out of nosiness, 27% use property sites to gauge what they might be able to afford in the future, despite not planning to move.
Listing details also shape how people use these platforms. The survey found that viewers focus first on interior styling at 41%, followed by a building’s character at 38%, and layout at 33%. These habits suggest that browsing now resembles lifestyle inspiration rather than a focused house hunt.
Sharing links has become part of this pastime, with 30% saying they regularly send property listings to friends or family through WhatsApp. Another 25% enjoy receiving spontaneous links, making browsing a social activity as well as a personal one. Respondents say the process often makes them feel excited at 31%, inspired at 23%, or motivated at 20%, and fewer people associate it with pressure.
The findings also reflect dissatisfaction with traditional property search tools. Over a third of those surveyed, 35%, say they want a more intuitive search experience. Meanwhile, 26% report that filters often lead them to listings that do not match their criteria, pointing to a mismatch between how people browse and how property websites function.
Graham Paterson, CEO and co-founder of Jitty, commented, “The fact that so many people are peeking inside their neighbours’ homes tells you everything you need to know about how Britain feels about property, it fascinates us, it entertains us, and it connects us. But it also shows why traditional search tools don’t cut it anymore."
"People don’t think in filters, they think in feelings, styles and lifestyles. AI finally bridges that gap by letting you describe exactly what you imagine, and instantly seeing homes that match. That’s the future people clearly want.”
