Searches for air-con rise as agents highlight more ‘cool’ home features

Forget large driveways and gardens, it turns out agents need to advise their sellers to add air conditioning units to their properties.

Analysis from Rightmove reveals that searches for homes with air conditioning have soared compared with last year following the record-breaking hot summer.

Searches for homes for sale with air conditioning using the portal’s Keyword Sort tool, have more than tripled compared with this time last year, while searches for homes to rent with air conditioning are up 74%, according the Rightmove data.

On 19 July, the hottest day on record in the UK with temperatures of more than 40 degrees, searches for homes for sale with air conditioning nearly quadrupled by280% and almost tripled in the rental market – up 180% - compared with the same day in 2021.

The number of available property listings mentioning air conditioning has also more than quadrupled compared to this time last year, Rightmove said.

However, those dreaming of a new home with air conditioning may have found their choice limited, the research reveals, as homes for either sale or to rent with air conditioning still make up less than 1% of agency stock despite the rise in mentions.

There has also been an increase in agents highlighting other features and using key terms to describe how a home may stay cool in the summer for buyers and renters, ahead of more potential hot summers.

Mentions of ‘ceiling fan’ have increased seven times, ‘airy’ six times and ‘shade’ five times, according to Rightmove.

Tim Bannister, property expert at Rightmove, said: “During the hottest days of the year we’ve seen people across the UK jump straight onto Rightmove to see where they could live with the luxury of air conditioning.

“Though they make up a very small portion of the current property market, homes with air-con and other features that keep a home cool could attract even more interest in the future if we experience similarly hot summers, and these features rise up the priority list.”