Tue, 04 Nov 2025 | BUSINESS SALE
One of the UK’s oldest property websites has been acquired by a proptech platform based in Derby and Norwich, with operations across the UK. Homemove’s acquisition of Home.co.uk follows the company’s £3.8 million growth funding round earlier this year.
The acquisition is described as a deal that “supercharges” Homemove’s growth, with the company saying that the transaction demonstrates Derby’s burgeoning reputation as a hub for national tech innovation.
Home.co.uk was launched in 1995, making it one of the earliest property search websites in the UK. Following the takeover, Homemove say it plans to build on the website’s 30-year heritage, with the buyer planning to develop Home.co.uk with new technology, AI-powered insights and a free-to-list model for UK estate agents.
James Freestone, co-founder and CEO of Homemove, commented: “Derby is where Homemove’s operations heartbeat lies, and we’re proud to grow a national brand from a regional base. Acquiring Home.co.uk supercharges what we’re building — a simpler, smarter, more connected moving experience for everyone.”
Home.co.uk founder Ben Horton, who exits the company as part of the deal, said that Homemove has “the innovation and energy to take what Home.co.uk has built and amplify it”, adding that the acquisition was “a natural evolution that benefits agents, movers and the wider market.”
Founded by James Freestone and Louis O’Connell-Bristow in 2022, Homemove provides a wide array of property services, including estate agent search, mortgage advice, conveyancing, property surveys, removals and broadband deal comparison.
Home.co.uk, which claims to have built the UK’s most comprehensive database of residential properties for sale and rent on the internet, offers property search services, as well as house price and market data analysis, property guides, agent directories, financial services (including mortgage advice and calculators) and moving services.
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