The wild phenomenon of jumping the property ladder

Ubiquitous house raffle company Omaze offers the dream of winning a mortgage-free home, but the popularity of these draws is a depressing sign of the times, writes Ellie Muir

- Ellie Muir

You've probably seen the adverts. There’s Olivia Colman, perched on a sofa in a pristine, sun-soaked room, tempting you with the chance of winning a multimillion-pound mansion in Cheshire. Or Eddie Redmayne advertising the raffle for a £4m beachfront house in Sussex (plus £250,000 cash), in between glossy property porn shots of sweeping marble countertops that seamlessly pan to a bubbling hot tub. Or perhaps you've spotted that unavoidable blonde and glamorous presenter, trotting around idyllic countryside abodes, telling you it could be all yours. “Go on, what are you waiting for?” they all ask.

This is the improbable yet undeniably enticing marketing behind Omaze. The organisation runs lucrative raffle competitions to win houses across the UK - think glassy Premier League footballer-style homes - and sells the dream of a new life in the process. Entering is simple: there’s a free postal vote, or you can pay £10 for 15 entries, £25 for 40 entries, £150 for 320 entries, or via a tiered monthly subscription plan.

When the draw ends, an extremely chirpy Omaze employee will arrive on the doorstep of the one lucky winner, with a camera crew, a billboard screen parked in the driveway and (prop) keys at the ready. Winners are also given £250,000 in cash to help them settle in - and they can decide to either live in the house, rent it out for a supplementary income, or sell it to become a multimillionaire.