OpenBrix is building the infrastructure layer for the UK rental market
A system designed to connect identity, compliance, payments, and deposits into a single, auditable lifecycle
Thought leadership by Adam Pigott CEO tlyfe (Openbrix) Consumer-Centric Property Platform
โWhat we have isnโt another property portal or a standalone tenant app. Itโs a system designed to currently connect identity, compliance, payments, and deposits into a single, auditable lifecycle.
We believe the rental market is going through the same shift banking went through years agoโfrom fragmented systems to regulated digital infrastructure. Our goal is to sit at the centre of that transition.
Today, the rental market is still highly fragmented. Thereโs no persistent tenant identity, no unified record of a tenancy, and no reliable audit trail for compliance. At the same time, regulation is increasing. With the Rentersโ Rights reforms, landlords now need to evidence maintenance, prove compliance, and operate in a far more transparent system. The issue is that the infrastructure to support this at scale doesnโt really exist yet.
The Private Rental Sector landscape is now changing at speed
Whatโs changing is that renting is becoming regulated infrastructure. Government bodies like the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government are focused on reducing system risk, improving compliance visibility, and driving digital adoption across millions of tenants.
The biggest concern for them isnโt policyโitโs whether the systems can actually work at scale without failing. Thatโs where OpenBrix comes in. Weโve built a platform called tlyfe that creates a single digital record of a tenancy. A complete lifecycle application for the tenants, who let us not forget fund the entire PRS.
It starts with verified identity, giving each tenant a reusable, trusted profile. It then connects into the โmove-inโ process, deposit tracking through integrations with schemes like the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. On top of that, we provide maintenance and compliance audit logs, which create a clear and legally robust record for landlords and agents.
Weโre also building a payments layer using Open Banking, allowing rent to be tracked and managed in real time. Finally, we can add a rental property search portal for tenants to pass over their data in one click, something no other listing portal can currently do.
What makes this powerful is not just the product, but where we sit in the ecosystem.
We operate between tenants, landlords, agents, suppliers and the UKโs largest deposit scheme (the TDS). That means we donโt rely on traditional customer acquisition. Instead, weโre embedded directly into the tenancy workflow from now various sources.
Through integrations and partnerships, we have access to large volumes of tenants and landlords at effectively zero acquisition cost. That embedded distribution is a key advantage. We are seeing certain suppliers and industry bodies now actively moving to sit on our platform.
Looking ahead, particularly with potential changes in how deposit schemes operate, the key question becomes less about who holds the most deposits and more about who reduces risk for government.
From a procurement perspective, what matters is proven infrastructure, digital adoption, and the ability to migrate safely at scale. If a platform already has a large number of tenants actively using it, the risk of transitioning to a national system is significantly lower.
Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR
Why Rightmove is making all the wrong moves
In a world reshaped by AI, incumbency is no longer protection. It is exposure.
Thought Leadership By Andrew Stanton, CEO Proptech-PR
Rightmove has long been the unassailable giant of UK property portalsโa category-defining platform that, for years, operated with the kind of pricing power most businesses can only dream of. But markets have a way of humbling incumbents, and recent developments suggest that Rightmoveโs aura of invincibility is beginning to fracture.
On 27 March 2026, Rightmoveโs share price closed at 413p. That figure is stark when placed alongside the final 775p per share offer tabled by REA Group (backed by News Corp) in September 2024, giving it a market cap of ยฃ6.2bn. At the time, Rightmove arrogantly rejected the bid, confident in its strategic position and long-term value. In hindsight, a decision looks increasingly questionable.
A missed opportunity to exit at the top
The rejected REA bid now reads like a near-perfect market top signal. Doubling the current share price, it represented not just a premium, it reflected a belief in Rightmoveโs enduring dominance. Today, that belief looks overstated. True for a short period share prices climbed further skyward into the ยฃ800p+ range, but this was the last rocket fuel burning off from the REA debacle.
If anything, REA may count itself fortunate when the acquisition failed. For this Australian company what appeared then as a missed acquisition opportunity now resembles a bullet dodged. Paying 781p per share for a business now trading nearly 50% lower would have been difficult to justify, particularly given the structural shifts now underway in property technology.
The illusion of a moat
Rightmoveโs historical strength has been its network effect. Agents and developers list inventory where buyers search, and buyers search where listings aggregate. This virtuous cycle enabled sustained price increases for agents, often with little resistance. But that โmoatโ is proving far less defensible than once assumed.
The emergence of AI fundamentally alters the dynamics of discovery. Property search is no longer confined to portalsโit is becoming embedded, conversational, and distributed. AI-driven interfaces can aggregate listings, interpret intent, and present tailored results without requiring users to ever visit a traditional portal. And in that context, Rightmoveโs core advantage, being the destination, starts to erode.
Agents are reassessing value
For years, agents tolerated rising costs because Rightmove delivered leads at scale. But the 10% annual ratchet of licence fees and bolt on extra services, and the uneven playing field where large agents allegedly enjoy heavily subsidised licences, has created a huge schism. It may command a constant 70% gross profit margin, and high returns to shareholders but now a ยฃ1.bn monopoly court case looms on the horizon backed by its clients. Which means to quote a certain ex-Prime Minister โwhen the herd moves, it movesโ and hundreds of agents are on manoeuvres.
As big a threat to Rightmove is the availability in our digital world of direct marketing strategies, and AI-enabled discovery tools giving agents alternatives. So the question agents are increasingly asking is simple: Is Rightmove still worth it?
When a platformโs pricing is built on perceived indispensability, any erosion of that perception becomes existential. Rightmoveโs challenge is not just competitive, it is almost psychological. Ironically Rightmove replaced the monopoly of Newspaper printed advertising, it was a digital billboard that drew the eyes of millions.
With its market share it created its own monopoly and though having a dominant position or a monopoly in a market is often not illegal in itself, certain categories of behaviour can be considered abusive and therefore incur legal sanctions.
Now of course Artificial Intelligence which respects no moat, being itself a sea of never ending possibilities that grows extensionally is fast becoming the worldโs largest monopoly, hence why Meta are investing over ยฃ135bn in the next 12-months.
Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR
Octopus Capital and Barratt Homes to deliver 110 new affordable homes
Leading UK specialist real estate investor, has agreed a forward funding deal with Barratt and David Wilson Homes (Anglia)
Octopus Capital, a leading UK specialist real estate investor, has agreed a forward funding deal with Barratt and David Wilson Homes (Anglia) to support the delivery of 110 new, affordable homes across two sites in Thurston, Suffolk, and Littleport, Cambridgeshire.
The investment has been made through the Octopus Affordable Housing Fund (OAHF), which invests long-term capital to accelerate the delivery of essential affordable homes across the UK. The deal marks the first direct transaction between Octopus Capital and Barratt Redrow, reflecting a shared commitment to increasing the supply of high quality affordable homes through new-build development.
All homes will be delivered as affordable housing, helping to address local demand in areas where affordability pressures continue to limit access to good-quality homes. The schemes will provide a mix of 78 homes for Affordable Rent and 32 homes for Shared Ownership, and will work closely with local authorities in West Suffolk and East Cambridgeshire, to ensure the developments support a wide range of local housing needs.
Across the two sites, the schemes will deliver 100 high-quality houses, six maisonettes and four bungalows on a freehold basis. Homes range from one to four bedrooms, supporting individuals, couples and families. All homes will be delivered with a minimum of EPC B rating, helping to improve energy efficiency and reduce household running costs over the long term.
Construction will be phased, with handovers at Thurston expected between April 2026 and June 2028, and at Littleport between September 2026 and December 2028. NewArch Homes, the Octopus-owned registered provider of social housing, will be the long-term owner of the homes. After construction, housing management will be provided by Flagship Group, the Housing Association focused on providing homes for affordable and market rent, and for sale across the East of England.
Flagshipโs ethos is closely aligned with that of Octopus Capital. They donโt just want to make a difference to their customers and their communities; they are also keenly focused on trying to solve the housing crisis.
Coner Anderson, Investment Manager at Octopus Capital, said: โWe are delighted to have secured our first direct partnership with Barratt Redrow, supporting the delivery of 110 muchโneeded affordable homes in the East of England. This transaction reflects a shared commitment to increasing the supply of highโquality affordable housing through the Octopus Affordable Housing Fund, we continue to deploy longโterm capital to bring forward energyโefficient homes that respond to local housing needs. We look forward to building on our relationship with Barratt Redrow and working closely with our management partner, Flagship.โ
Gareth Mears, Development Director at Barratt and David Wilson Homes Anglia, said: โWe are excited to partner with Octopus Capital for the first time and secure delivery of these much-needed affordable homes on two of our newest developments within the region. Both sites are under construction and progressing well, and we look forward to handing over the first homes and welcoming residents to the new communities we are creating.โ
Imogen Ranger, Contract and Relationship Manager at Flagship, said: โThere is a real need for affordable homes in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, so itโs great to be part of a partnership thatโs dedicated to creating a positive impact. These 110 homes will make a genuine difference to people who need them, whether thatโs through affordable rent or shared ownership. Weโre looking forward to working with Octopus Capital and Barratt and David Wilson Homes, and to continuing supporting residents as these new communities take shape.โ
Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR