Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
If you can't find an answer to your question in the "How to use" section or here, please do get in touch with us.
What is OnOneMap?
OnOneMap is the UK's property search engine. We are not an estate agent or property broker. Just like search engines such as Google, we present you with information on the Web that meets your search requirements, although unlike general search engines we focus entirely on UK property. And we have done so since August 2005.
Importantly, given the mantra for the property market is "location, location, location", OnOneMap is the first to return the results of your search as little house icons on a map. You can't get much more intuitive than that.
Where does OnOneMap get its property details from?
Estate agents and property brokers send us their property details, and we scan the Web for property details too. Our requirements for every property are:
- The property must be advertised as on the market for sale or available to let
- The property must have a webpage dedicated to it somewhere
- We must know where the property is
How many properties does OnOneMap cover?
As you'll know, there are busy times for buying and selling property during the year, and quieter periods. Therefore, the total number of properties we know about varies too. We do know that we cover the majority of the market, and this always runs to hundreds of thousands of properties.
I know of a property for sale or to let that OnOneMap doesn't show. Why?
We're continually striving to find more property information, but there are a number of possible explanations here including:
- The estate agent managing the sale or rental of the property concerned doesn't submit their property details to us
- We haven't found their website or that property on their website yet
- The property doesn't have a webpage dedicated to it
- We can't determine the property's location from the webpage
Please do tell the estate agent about OnOneMap, and also send us a link to the webpage on which the property is described. We can't always get that property listed OnOneMap straight away, but if we have difficulty doing so we can work with the agent to make it easier.
Why have I found details of a property that is no longer on the market?
We check all our records regularly, but there is a chance that you have clicked on a property that has gone off the market since we last checked it. We do have a lot of checking to do!
Why have I found an inaccuracy in the details of a property?
No search engine can be responsible for the accuracy or validity of the content on websites it links to in response to your search query. Equally, OnOneMap is not responsible for the accuracy of the data sent to it by estate agents and brokers, and found on the Web. We can only tell you what we've found. We have noticed a decline in reports of inaccurate data since mid-2005, and we believe this is because it is in estate agents' interests to avoid inaccuracies.
Why do some properties have an image and others don't?
OnOneMap cannot store the property images to show you as we have no copyright to do so. When we are able to display an image therefore, it is actually served to you directly from the website of the copyright owner (eg, the estate agent), but sometimes the set-up of these websites prevents this. Nevertheless, you will always find images on the site OnOneMap links to.
Why should I register / create an account with OnOneMap?
This is entirely optional. If you do decide to register then we can provide additional functionality you may find useful. This includes:
- Full shortlist functionality from any computer - store up to 50 of your favourites
- Remember your search criteria and preferences when you log back in from any computer
If you're thinking of registering, you may wish to refer to our privacy policy.
Does OnOneMap get paid to list property information?
No, and we will never require a fee to list a property. Our service is free to estate agents, property brokers and you, and always will be. We currently cover our costs through advertisements such as those "Ads by Google" on the right hand side of this page, and little ads in the property bubbles that appear when you click a property icon on the map.
When I search on the map, it tells me there are more properties that meet my search requirements than are displayed. Why is that?
Although we're able to show you some properties that meet your search requirements in the area you have zoomed to, we can't show you them all. It may be that some properties are too close together to represent on the map - in fact, some may actually be in exactly the same spot at the current resolution of your zoom level, perhaps because they are houses on opposite sides of the same street, or apartments in the same building. Or it may be that plotting that much information on one map would be a bit of an overload (on you and your computer!), so we never plot more than 300 at a time.
When there are too many properties to show individually, we use what we call clusters. These are rectangles featuring the postcode of that area which, when clicked on, will zoom you in further to show you more properties individually or more smaller clusters.
To see more properties, keep zooming in. When you're fully zoomed in you'll always see every property. Also note that even when you can't see all the properties, they are all included in the RSS feed (see "What is RSS?" below)
What is RSS?
Using the map is a great way of getting your head round the property market in the area you are interested in buying. However, once you've zoomed in on your precise area, and have set the details of the property you want, here's an even easier way to organise your properties: use a custom RSS newsfeed.
If you use a newsreader already then you'll already know that dragging the RSS logo (
) from the map page after you have made your search to your newsreader allows your newsreader to download the relevant property information. Brilliantly, as OnOneMap finds new property in the future that matches your exact search criteria your newsreader will automatically download it. Just sit back and relax.
If you've not discovered newsreaders yet, you're missing out! Newsreaders are great fun, productive and free (just like OnOneMap!). Using a newsreader with OnOneMap you can:
- Receive new properties directly into your newsreader's inbox automatically
- When properties go off the market, they'll disappear from your newsreader
- Delete any that you're not interested in, and your newsreader won't download them again.
If you would like to find out more about newsreaders, there will probably be some relevant "Ads by Goooooogle" on the right, or try following these links:
- BBC: All about RSS
- A non-technical introduction courtesy of the BBC
- Wikipedia: News Aggregator
- Everything you could ever want to know about news aggregators (another word for readers) from the Internet's favourite encyclopedia
- Bloglines
- Our recommended web based newsreader
- Web based newsreader list
- A list of Web based newsreaders
- Windows newsreader list
- A list of newsreader software for Windows
I'm selling or renting my own property. How do I list it OnOneMap?
Sorry but we cannot accept property details from any party other than estate agents and property brokers.
What about my privacy? Are you tracking what I'm doing OnOneMap?
We take your privacy very seriously, and that's why it's covered in detail in our privacy policy.
Can I link to OnOneMap? Can I incorporate OnOneMap property search into my website?
Yes you can. See Linking to OnOneMap.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) for estate agents
Who runs OnOneMap?
OnOneMap is run by OnOneMap Limited, a private company. The Managing Director is Philip Sheldrake.
Will OnOneMap accept my property details?
We will accept your property details if the following criteria is met:
- You are an estate agent or property broker
- Each property must be advertised as on the market for sale or available to let
- Each property must have a webpage dedicated to it somewhere
- We must be able to determine the location of the property
Why should I list my clients' properties OnOneMap?
- Hundreds of thousands of property seekers use OnOneMap every month
- We send our users to your website - generating leads
- It's free
- You can include OnOneMap in your marketing collateral
How many leads will OnOneMap generate?
That depends on the number of properties you submit to OnOneMap and whether those properties are attractive to our users. One thing's for sure though, just one lead is all you'll need to demonstrate return on investment as the only investment you need to make is a little time.
What's in it for OnOneMap?
You'll want to know that we're not an estate agent, and never plan to be one. We currently cover our costs through advertisements such as those "Ads by Google" on the right hand side of this page, and little ads in the property bubbles that appear when you click a property icon on the map.
Will it cost me money?
We'll never charge you to include your properties OnOneMap. Our search service is free to estate agents, property brokers and users, and always will be.
How do I submit property details to OnOneMap?
We have made this as simple as possible. In fact there are four different methods so you can choose the one that suits you. See our submission guidelines to find out how.
I haven't submitted my property details but some already appear OnOneMap. How come?
OnOneMap gathers publicly available content from across the Web. We only collect the information necessary to answer our users' search queries and direct them to the relevant property details on your website.
OnOneMap lists several sources for one of my properties. How is the order in which these are listed determined?
Quite simply, we list the sources in the order in which we become aware of them. We can't think of a fairer method. As a user will often select the first source listed, it is in your interest to submit the details of your properties as soon as you can to get your website listed higher.
What should I do if there is an inaccuracy regarding one of my properties OnOneMap?
If the property was submitted, correct the error and submit it again. If we got it from your website, check the details published on your site and amend them if necessary. If the error lies in another party's website, you should contact them and ask them to amend their records, as we cannot do this for you.
If you still want to contact us about an individual property, contact us using our contact form.
If you're using OnOneMap's map view:
- Click on the house icon of the property in question
- In the bubble that appears, right click "View" and select "Copy Shortcut" or "Copy Link Location"- this copies the property link to your clipboard
- In the "Your comment" box of our feedback form, right click and select "Paste" to paste the link into the form
- Add details about the inaccuracy and send
If you're using OnOneMap's directory view:
- Find the property in the directory
- Right click the main heading for the property (in blue and underlined) and select "Copy Shortcut" or "Copy Link Location " - this copies the property link to your clipboard
- In the "Your comment" box of our feedback form, right click and select "Paste" to paste the link into the form
- Add details about the inaccuracy and send
Does OnOneMap require exclusivity?
No, and never will.