A shocking eight million people admit to arranging to view the homes of people they know, according to research by Direct Line Home Insurance.

Sellers could be completely unaware friends, family, co-workers and even ex-partners have been granted access by an estate agent to wander through their property in person.

In addition, almost 22 million people admit to using property listing sites to sneak a peak at the homes of people they know.

Property spies

When looking in person, 4.5 million people have viewed the home of a relative in person, with 3.9 million taking a tour of a close friend’s property and 3.9 million snooping around a neighbour’s home.

Three million people admit to arranging a physical viewing of their ex-partner’s property, while a further 2.9 million say that they have visited a potential partner’s property.

Online snooping

Many more will check out the properties of people they know online, according to the research. When it comes to a home being virtually toured by someone the owner knows, it’s most likely the neighbours, with 12.3 million people viewing the home next door online.

Over 9.2 million people have taken the opportunity to look at a family member’s home online, when put up for sale, with 8.6 million viewing friends’ properties online.

Obsessed with portals

Viewing properties online and in person has become a national hobby, with 32 million people (61 per cent), browsing homes on property listing websites, despite not actively looking to move.

More than 9.9 million Brits admit to having physically viewed a property in the last 12 months without intending to buy or rent it.

The top three motivations for looking at other people’s homes online are to see the value of other properties in their area, being nosey and wanting to see what they could afford.

Dan Simson, head of Direct Line Home Insurance, said: “Lockdown has meant millions of us having extra time on our hands and clearly one of the most popular past times is to look at properties.

“Those looking to sell their homes should be mindful that some seemingly genuine viewings may be people just wanting to have a nose around.

“It is important that sellers take sensible security precautions, such as removing valuables and personal items from view, ensuring they do not appear in photos and are not visible when someone is viewing.”