A major new survey has confirmed what many have long suspected: Britain is a nation of nosy neighbours. The research, commissioned by AI-driven property portal Jitty, found that more than a quarter of UK adults (28%) openly admit to browsing property websites specifically to peek inside their neighbours' homes.
The Regional Hotspots for Property Snooping
This guilty pleasure of having a good old nose around other people's houses is not evenly spread across the country. The nation's most inquisitive neighbours reside in the North East and South West, where 36% of residents confess to the habit. They are closely followed by those in the South East at 35%.
Other areas with high levels of neighbourly curiosity include the East of England (31%), Yorkshire and the Humber (30%), and Wales (29%). Meanwhile, London and the West Midlands sit at the lower end of the scale, with both recording 24%. The title for the least nosy region goes to Northern Ireland, where just 19% engage in this form of digital eavesdropping.
Property Browsing as a National Pastime
The poll of 2,000 UK adults, conducted by OnePoll, illustrates that scrolling through property listings has evolved into a significant national hobby. People are no longer using these sites solely for moving house; they are now a source of entertainment, curiosity, and escapism.
While a quarter (25%) state they browse purely out of nosiness, 27% do it to gauge what they might be able to afford one day, even with no immediate plans to relocate. This activity has become a shared experience, with three in ten people (30%) regularly sharing property links with friends and family on WhatsApp. A further 25% enjoy receiving surprise listings from others.
The emotional response to this browsing is overwhelmingly positive. It makes 31% of people feel excited, 23% feel inspired, and 20% feel motivated, with far fewer associating it with negative feelings like stress.
The Limitations of Traditional Property Search
Despite the popularity of property browsing, the research highlights a significant frustration with the existing tools. Over a third of Brits (35%) wish searching for homes felt more intuitive, and 26% routinely find themselves looking at properties far outside their intended search criteria.
This indicates that the static filters and clunky interfaces of traditional property portals have failed to keep pace with how people naturally explore the market. When looking at a listing, Brits are most drawn to the interior styling (41%), the character of the building (38%), and the layout (33%), treating the experience more like Pinterest than a simple postcode search.
Graham Paterson, CEO and co-founder of Jitty, commented on the findings: "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."
He added, "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."
Jitty, which is backed by REA Group and Gradient Ventures (Google's AI fund), is at the forefront of this shift. The platform is on track to exceed half a million monthly property searches, with its AI-powered, natural-language search now accounting for 75% of user interactions. This signals a move towards a smarter, more conversational way to discover properties across the UK.
