Zoopla survey finds majority of homeowners undervalue their property

Zoopla research found that 78% of homeowners do not have a clear idea of how much their property is worth, with 64% undervaluing their home¹. The findings were reported by Which? on 5 April 2025¹.

Some 35% of respondents to the property portal's survey undervalued their property by more than £100,000 compared with estimates from professional estate agents¹. At the other end of the scale, 13% of homeowners were disappointed to find their home was worth less than they had anticipated, by an average of £47,000¹. People who had owned their home for 30 years or more were most likely to have an accurate understanding of its value¹.

The report sets out several ways to gauge a property's value. HM Land Registry data is based on actual sale prices rather than asking prices, and comes with a two-month lag¹. The Land Registry's "price paid" database, which records specific sales on a street or within a postcode area, can take a long time to update, sometimes even a year or more¹. Online valuations from portals including OnTheMarket, Rightmove and Zoopla are free, though the price bands shown can be wide, for example £150,000 to £200,000¹. Asking prices on listings are a guide only, as there is no guarantee a seller will achieve the price they want¹.

Other factors reported as affecting value include proximity to schools and flood risk. Last summer Santander research found that homes near a top school cost an extra £21,000¹. A 2023 study by Bayes Business School found that homes in England with a flood risk sold for 8% less than unaffected properties, and for those with an extreme flood risk the discount could exceed 30%¹.

Why it matters for households

For anyone selling, the gap between what an owner believes a home is worth and what an agent would put on it can shape the asking price set, how long a property sits on the market and whether a sale proceeds at all. The survey indicates the gap runs in both directions: most of those surveyed were below the agent estimate, while 13% had expected more than their home turned out to be worth, by an average of £47,000¹.

The figures also bear on borrowing and remortgaging, where a lender's valuation of the property underpins the loan. A homeowner who has undervalued their home may have more equity than they assume; one who has overvalued it may have less. The research does not report how the survey respondents' estimates compared with lender valuations, only with estimates from professional estate agents¹.

Owners who have held their property for 30 years or more were the group most likely to have an accurate understanding of its value¹. The survey did not report figures for how other tenure lengths performed.

What happens next

No further steps, publication dates or follow-up research from Zoopla are reported¹. The Land Registry's House Price Index and "price paid" data are updated on an ongoing basis, with the index carrying a two-month lag and the price paid records sometimes taking a year or more to update¹. Registering ownership after completion is handled by HM Land Registry, Registers of Scotland and Land & Property Services, and the home-buying hub covers the wider process.