On January 22, 2025, the Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic imposed a fine of EUR 675,200 on United Classifieds s.r.o. for abusing its dominant position in the online real estate advertising sector.

The investigation revealed that since 2020, United Classifieds had been imposing unreasonable business conditions on its corporate clients, including real estate agencies, brokers, and developers. The company required these clients to advertise on all three of its main online real estate portals simultaneously, without allowing them to select individual portals or combinations of their choice.

Additionally, from 2020 to early 2022, United Classifieds restricted technical access to its portals for real estate agencies that used competing software to manage their listings. The company promoted its own software solution, which limited the ability of agencies to automatically import listings, thus complicating the management of advertisements and increasing operational costs.

This conduct not only hindered the operations of real estate agencies by limiting their choices and imposing unnecessary fees but also stifled competition within the market.

In conjunction with the fine, the Antimonopoly Office mandated that United Classifieds cease its unlawful practices and rectify the situation within 90 days of the decision becoming final. The company has the right to appeal the decision, which has not yet become final, and a public version of the decision will be released in the coming weeks.