Business · Companies · 50 mins ago
AI-altered property photos raise concerns about misleading homebuyers
UK estate agents are increasingly using AI to improve property photos, from changing decor to adding features that are not really there.
Olivia Nicole found a south-west London home looked very different in person from the images she saw online.
The rooms were smaller, and structural details such as a raised section of wall and the size of the windows did not match the pictures.
The listing did not make clear that the photos had been enhanced, and Nicole said the viewing wasted several hours of her work time.
One in five recent UK homebuyers surveyed said they had seen digitally enhanced listing photos that made a property look better than it was.
Estate agents say enhancement can help people imagine a home's potential, but industry guidance warns against misleading buyers; Rightmove, Zoopla and Winkworth said they had strict rules and had removed the images in Nicole's case.
AI-enhanced property listing photos can make homes look different from how they appear in person, raising concerns about misleading prospective buyers.
Olivia Nicole said a house she viewed in south-west London had smaller rooms and different decor and structural features than its online images showed.
The images, which appeared on Rightmove, Zoopla and Winkworth, were enhanced with AI, but Nicole said the listing did not make that clear.
Estate agents say AI can help buyers visualise a property's potential, while experts warn that altered images can go too far.
A survey of 906 UK homebuyers found that one in five people who bought a home in the past year had viewed a property with digitally enhanced listing photos.
- Who
- Estate agents are using AI to enhance property photos, and prospective buyers are viewing the listings.
- What
- AI-altered property images are raising concerns that homebuyers may be misled about a property's appearance.
- When
- Nicole searched for the property earlier this year and viewed it several days later. The article was published on 13 November 2026.
- Where
- The property Nicole viewed was in south-west London; the images appeared on Rightmove, Zoopla and Winkworth.
- Why
- Agents say AI can help buyers visualise a property's potential. Experts warn that alterations can mislead buyers or waste their time.
Estate agents using AI to enhance listings
Experts and prospective buyers concerned about misleading images
Purpose
Estate agents using AI to enhance listings
Agents say enhancements can make homes more appealing and help buyers visualise a property's potential.
Experts and prospective buyers concerned about misleading images
Experts warn that alterations can mislead prospective buyers.
Limits
Estate agents using AI to enhance listings
Some consider decluttering or adding furniture acceptable.
Experts and prospective buyers concerned about misleading images
Changes that distort a home's features or waste a buyer's time cross the line.
Olivia Nicole searched online for five-bedroom properties in south-west London and noticed a house on Rightmove.
Nicole viewed the property and found that its rooms, decor and some structural features differed from the images.
The images were found to have been AI-enhanced, and Rightmove, Zoopla and Winkworth told the BBC they had taken them down.
- Survey
- 906 UK homebuyers
- Survey finding
- One in five buyers who purchased a home in the past year had viewed a property with digitally enhanced listing photos
- Search area
- South-west London
- Websites carrying the images
- Rightmove, Zoopla and Winkworth
- Buyer
- Olivia Nicole, 29
What people are saying
The rooms were much smaller than they were in the pictures and the decor was totally different
I've seen one house where they had removed a pillar and added a window.