Court Orders REA to Disclose Nine in 10 Claim

Federal Court orders REA Group to produce documents backing its claim it attracts buyers for nine in 10 listed properties.

Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Residential

Court Orders REA to Disclose Nine in 10 Claim

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Federal Court Justice Michael Wigney has ordered REA Group to hand over documents substantiating its claim that it attracts buyers for nine in 10 properties listed on its platform. The order follows a lawsuit by rival Domain, which argues the marketing campaign is misleading and deceptive.

Why it matters

The case tests whether property platforms can publicly quantify buyer engagement without independent verification, a question that matters to sellers, agents and buyers who rely on such claims. Domain's challenge centres on whether the AI-powered model behind the figure is sound.

REA's figure rests on a proprietary model covering 1.3 million Australian properties sold between August 2023 and November 2025, validated by Deloitte. The court has not yet tested whether the model's findings are accurate.

The players

REA Group

REA Group is the operator of realestate.com.au, one of Australia's largest property portals, and owner of the PropTrack data business.

Domain

Domain is a rival Australian property portal that sued REA Group over its marketing campaign and cross-claims in return.

Justice Michael Wigney

Justice Michael Wigney is a judge of the Federal Court of Australia presiding over the dispute between REA Group and Domain.

Deloitte

Deloitte is a multinational professional services firm that reviewed and validated REA's AI-powered Buyer Impact Model.

The details

REA ran the claims on billboards at the Gold Coast Airport during the AREC conference in May, where Domain was the major sponsor partner. Justice Wigney also approved Domain's request to access REA's correspondence with Deloitte and ordered REA to hand over the model Deloitte used to analyse the data. REA has cross-claimed that Domain misled the market over its Matterport 3D photography claims.

August 2023 to November 2025: period of property sales assessed by REA's Buyer Impact Model.
April: REA first publicly claimed nine in 10 buyers find homes on its platform.
May: Domain sued REA and REA ran its claims on Gold Coast Airport billboards.
1 November 2026: Court ordered REA to provide documents substantiating its claim.

Market Landscape

The dispute extends the reach of Australia's Consumer Law misleading-conduct prohibition into property platforms' quantified engagement claims. It sits within a contest between the country's two largest property portals for buyer attention and sponsorship.

Home sellers and buyers who rely on portal claims about buyer engagement may find the court's findings clarify how those figures should be weighed. The outcome could influence how listing platforms present performance metrics to vendors.

The takeaway

Treat platform engagement percentages as company-sourced claims until independent evidence is tested in court. Check how a listing's exposure is measured before weighing it in a sale decision.