A new survey by Jitty has revealed that more than a quarter of Brits (28%) have admitted that they browse property sites just to see inside their neighbours’ homes, confirming the UK’s favourite guilty pleasure is having a good old nose around other people’s houses.
Regionally, the nation’s biggest nosey neighbours are found in the North East and South West (both 36%), followed closely by the South East (35%).
Other hotspots for neighbourly snooping include the East of England (31%), Yorkshire and the Humber (30%) and Wales (29%). London (24%) and the West Midlands (24%) sit nearer the bottom of the list, while Northern Ireland (19%) is the least nosey region of all.
The poll* of 2,000 UK adults, conducted by Jitty, the UK’s AI-driven property portal, shows that property browsing has become a major national pastime, with people using it not just to find homes, but for entertainment, curiosity and escapism. While 25 percent say they browse homes ‘purely out of nosiness’, 27 percent do it to figure out what they might one day be able to afford, even if they have no plans to move.
This “home browsing culture” goes well beyond checking prices. Brits say the first things they notice in a listing are the interior styling (41%), the character of the building (38%), and the layout (33%) – indicating people are treating the property market more like Pinterest than a postcode search.
Three in ten people (30%) regularly share property links with friends and family on WhatsApp, and 25 percent enjoy receiving surprise listings from others, turning property browsing into a shared form of entertainment. Many say the activity makes them feel excited (31%), inspired (23%) or motivated (20%), with far fewer associating it with stress or pressure.
But the research also highlights a deep frustration with the limitations of traditional property websites. Over a third of Brits (35%) say they wish searching for homes felt more intuitive, while 26% say they routinely end up looking at properties far outside their intended criteria – a sign that static filters and clunky interfaces haven’t kept pace with how people actually browse.
Graham Paterson, CEO and co-founder of Jitty, said: “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.”
The findings come as Jitty continues its rapid growth, on track to exceed half a million monthly property searches. Its AI-powered natural-language search now accounts for the majority of user interactions, with 75% of people preferring it over traditional filtering.
Backed by REA Group and Gradient Ventures (Google’s AI fund), Jitty offers an AI-powered, image-first way to browse the property market, allowing users to search naturally, visually and intuitively. As the UK’s property browsing habit accelerates, Jitty is leading a new era of smarter, more conversational discovery.
For more information, visit www.jitty.com.
