Estate agents in the UK 2026: a ranking built on verified facts
A ranking of UK estate and letting agents, built only on verifiable facts: membership of a government-approved redress scheme (The Property Ombudsman or the Property Redress Scheme), client money protection, membership of Propertymark (NAEA, ARLA) or RICS, the company named with its Companies House number, published fees and complaints procedure, the year the agency started and the number of offices it states. Every fact links to its source with the date we checked it. This is not advice to choose a particular agency. Places are not for sale.
| # | Company | Who it serves | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Strutt & Parker | 76 | Yes | Yes | Not verified | 1885 | 50 | Licence CMP Member of a professional body |
| 2 | Knight Frank | 75 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1896 | Not verified | Licence CMP Member of a professional body Fees |
| 3 | Andrews Property Group | 72 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not verified | Not verified | Licence CMP Member of a professional body Fees |
| 4 | Purplebricks | 72 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not verified | Not verified | Licence CMP Member of a professional body Fees |
| 5 | Foxtons | 70 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1981 | Not verified | Licence CMP Member of a professional body Fees |
| 6 | Your Move | 62 | Yes | Yes | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Licence CMP Member of a professional body |
| 7 | Leaders | 60 | Yes | Yes | Not verified | 1983 | Not verified | Licence CMP Member of a professional body |
-
- Licence or register
- Yes
- Client money protection
- Yes
- Fees published
- Not verified
- In business since
- 1885
- Offices (stated by the agency)
- 50
Pros
- Meets its country's licence or register requirement
- Names its legal entity and registration number
- Money held for clients is protected
- Long track record as an agency
Details Visit site ↗ 78% backed by facts
-
- Licence or register
- Yes
- Client money protection
- Yes
- Fees published
- Yes
- In business since
- 1896
- Offices (stated by the agency)
- Not verified
Pros
- Meets its country's licence or register requirement
- Names its legal entity and registration number
- Publishes its fees
- Money held for clients is protected
Details Visit site ↗ 79% backed by facts
-
- Licence or register
- Yes
- Client money protection
- Yes
- Fees published
- Yes
- In business since
- Not verified
- Offices (stated by the agency)
- Not verified
Pros
- Meets its country's licence or register requirement
- Names its legal entity and registration number
- Publishes its fees
- Money held for clients is protected
Details Visit site ↗ 72% backed by facts
-
- Licence or register
- Yes
- Client money protection
- Yes
- Fees published
- Yes
- In business since
- Not verified
- Offices (stated by the agency)
- Not verified
Pros
- Meets its country's licence or register requirement
- Names its legal entity and registration number
- Publishes its fees
- Money held for clients is protected
Details Visit site ↗ 76% backed by facts
-
- Licence or register
- Yes
- Client money protection
- Yes
- Fees published
- Yes
- In business since
- 1981
- Offices (stated by the agency)
- Not verified
Pros
- Meets its country's licence or register requirement
- Publishes its fees
- Money held for clients is protected
- Long track record as an agency
Details Visit site ↗ 74% backed by facts
-
- Licence or register
- Yes
- Client money protection
- Yes
- Fees published
- Not verified
- In business since
- Not verified
- Offices (stated by the agency)
- Not verified
Pros
- Meets its country's licence or register requirement
- Names its legal entity and registration number
- Money held for clients is protected
- Publishes a complaints procedure
Details Visit site ↗ 62% backed by facts
-
- Licence or register
- Yes
- Client money protection
- Yes
- Fees published
- Not verified
- In business since
- 1983
- Offices (stated by the agency)
- Not verified
Pros
- Meets its country's licence or register requirement
- Money held for clients is protected
- Long track record as an agency
- Publishes a complaints procedure
Details Visit site ↗ 60% backed by facts
Not ranked yet: not enough verified data
These services are known to us, but we haven't verified enough facts to rank them fairly.
- Belvoir (58% backed by facts)
- Chestertons (site closed to automated checks, )
- Connells (site closed to automated checks, )
- Dexters (48% backed by facts)
- Hunters (48% backed by facts)
- Jackson-Stops (site closed to automated checks, )
- Savills (site closed to automated checks, )
- Winkworth (59% backed by facts)
- haart (57% backed by facts)
Sites marked as closed refuse automated reading (403 error, captcha or a robots.txt ban). We don't bypass such protection, so we can't verify their facts and they are not ranked. This says nothing about their quality. A company can send links to its official pages to [email protected].
How we calculate the Score
40%
Licence and legal entity
Whether the agency meets its country's rule for working as an agent (a broker licence, an entry in the register of agents, membership of a government-approved redress scheme or a trade permit) and whether its website names the legal entity with its registration number.
20%
Client protection
Whether money held for clients is protected by a client money protection scheme or guarantee, whether the agency states professional liability insurance, and whether it belongs to a national professional body with a code of conduct.
20%
Transparency
Whether the agency publishes its own fees (commission, letting or management fees), a complaints procedure with an independent body to turn to, and its property listings on its own website.
20%
Experience
The year the agency started, the number of offices it states itself and the App Store rating of its own app where there is one.
How to choose a real estate agency
Check the licence or register
Find out what your country requires (a broker licence, a register entry, redress scheme membership or a trade permit) and check the agency in the official register or the scheme's member search, not only on its own website.
Find out who you contract with
Many brands are franchise networks: each office is a separate company. Your agreement should name the legal entity, its registration number and address.
Ask about fees in writing
Get the commission or letting fee, what it includes and who pays it in writing before you sign. Compare agencies on the same service, for example full management versus finding a tenant only.
Protect deposits and rent
Do not pay a deposit or rent in cash or to a personal account. Check how the agency protects client money and, for rentals, where the tenant's deposit will be held.
Read the agency agreement
Check how long it lasts, whether it is exclusive, the notice period and any charges if you sell or let without the agency.
Know where to complain
First use the agency's complaints procedure. If that does not help, turn to the redress scheme, the professional body or the authority that issued the licence, and finally to court.
Frequently asked questions
Must an estate agent belong to a redress scheme?
Yes. Estate agents dealing with residential property must join an approved redress scheme under the Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007, and in England letting and property management agents must too. The two approved schemes are The Property Ombudsman and the Property Redress Scheme.
What is client money protection?
Since 1 April 2019 property agents in England who hold client money, such as rent or deposits, must belong to a government-approved client money protection scheme. They must display the membership certificate in their offices and on their website. Enforcement authorities can fine an agent up to £30,000 for not belonging to a scheme.
Do letting agents have to publish their fees?
Yes. Section 83 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires a letting agent to display a list of its fees at each office and to publish it on its website if it has one.
How do I check an agent?
Ask which redress scheme the agent belongs to and look it up on that scheme's website. For lettings, check the client money protection certificate on the agent's site and in the office, and read the list of fees before you sign.