Workers spend 23 hours a month house hunting

UK workers are wasting 23 hours a month on house hunting from their desks – research has revealed.

The study, carried out by rental property app Movebubble, found that businesses across the UK are bearing the brunt of employees spending time during working hours searching for a new home and even attending viewings.

People spend over an hour (67.5 minutes) each day making estate agent calls and browsing online from their desks. The whole process of finding a home takes a frustrating 17 days for the average renter.

As well as browsing properties, the survey found that hopeful renters make an average of three calls a day to estate agents such as Harlands during working hours – with each call lasting an average of 8 minutes 30 seconds.

This is costing the UK’s economy over £900m a year in lost working hours.

Movebubble CEO, Aidan Rushby, said: “It’s clear from the research that the outdated renting process in the UK is so inefficient and time consuming that renters are having to use up valuable working hours to complete their property searches.

“Everything starts and flows from the renters; and it’s critical that their role is respected and valued. The time people spend at work sourcing and organising property viewings, along with the potential days off, can have a huge negative impact on productivity.

“We set up Movebubble to ultimately save people time during the renting process. The UK population is extremely time-poor and we recognise that they need a more seamless, helpful solution when looking for a home – without urgent action the British workforce will continue to suffer as a result.”