Estate agents are not always viewed in a positive light and with so many to choose from throughout the capital, it can be tough to separate the honest and genuine ones from those that look no further than their commission.
By painstakingly searching through estate agents listings sites and reading customer reviews we have done some of the hard work for you by picking out seven of the best agents in London.
If you are looking to buy, sell or rent we suggest trying one or two of those listed below.
Haus Properties – Fulham & Chiswick
Haus are the PR champions of the property industry with their cool office designs, cutting edge web technology and unique style. One of their standout features is OpenBook, a digital timeline that sellers can use to keep tabs on the progress of a sale. Haus also like to use video a lot, including video footage of featured properties.
Head of Haus Jamie Lester may be familiar to Apprentice fans, and he is often seen on property shows and in the broadsheets.
The Times awarded Haus the London Estate Agent of the Year Award in 2013, the silver award for Best Small Estate Agent and bronze for their website which also received second spot on the HousingDabble website competition.
Douglas & Gordon – Various (West/South-West London)
They may have been established back in the 1950s, but a visit to Douglas & Gordon’s clean and crisp website is bang up to date and offers something a little bit different for prospective customers. There is a Knowledge section including a monthly barometer, illustrating the state of the London housing market; investors’ analysis; blog and the result of their regular online polls. Clicking on to the Lifestyle Search feature sees properties categorised as ‘trophy’, ‘hip and trendy’ or ‘village atmosphere’, giving browsers a more creative way to go about their search, while the comprehensive Area Guide is useful for getting orientated. There is also plenty of social media integration to enable visitors to keep up to date in real time.
Offline, Douglas & Gordon have 15 offices scattered throughout West and South West London, including in Notting Hill, West Kensington, Chelsea and Fulham.
Paramount Properties – West Hampstead
West Hampstead seems to be a hotbed of recommended estate agents, so if you’re looking for a house or flat in North West London you will have plenty of quality options. Paramount are not only the top London estate agent according to the Allagents website, they are also placed 6th in the UK as a whole from a pool of over twelve thousand, with an average rating of 4.85 out of 5. As an Allagents ‘transparent agent’ they commit to being open with reviews and feedback.
In Letting Director Spencer Lawrence and negotiator Mark Durban they also boast two of the top five agents in the UK, although it is clear from customer reviews that Paramount work very much as a team. Quick response, knowledge and helpfulness were recurrent themes in those reviews. Paramount are members of NAEA, ARLA, TDS, Safe Agent and the Property Ombudsman for both sales and lettings.
Martin & Wright – West Hampstead
Still in West Hampstead there is Martin & Wright of West End Lane, another top ten entry in the Allagents best UK agents list and sitting second in the London agents’ rankings. They also scooped the 2013 Allagents award for the best Lettings Agency in the UK (Allagents are the UK’s largest directory and review site for the property market). Jay Hayden is currently ranked as top estate agent in the country, praised for his honesty, work ethic and effective communication, with his colleague Chloe Martin also in the top ten. Martin & Wright have been commended on their fair prices and they are members of NALS, the OFT, Safe Agent, My Deposits and the Property Ombudsman for sales and lettings. The simple website allows you to search properties by selecting rental budget (or purchase price), area, number of rooms and type of property.
Base Property Specialists – Central London
When they were formed, Base Property Specialists had a mission to provide the highest customer service experience in London, and the company have grown steadily on the basis of customer reviews and referrals ever since. The London office was set up in 2004 by current owners An Deckers and Kristjan Byfield who still prefer a hands-on approach and are usually found on-site.
Base provide a wide range of services, offering property management throughout the capital and letting and selling properties in Central and East London. One of their key services is next-day furniture delivery for most orders up to 4pm.
Streets Ahead – Croydon & Crystal Palace
Heading south, and Streets Ahead are another of Allagents’ top five ranked UK and London estate agents, with the Crystal Palace branch on Westow Street drawing the most praise. Reviews from customers highlight the positive, efficient and professional attitude of the staff which is backed up by an overall 4.7/5 rating from over 600 customer reviews. Streets Ahead first opened their doors in 1990 and added their sixth office in 2014. They are members of the NAEA, DPS, OFT and Property Ombudsman for sales and cite commitment to their customers as their main drive. The Sunday Times presented Streets Ahead with both the South East Lettings award for 2014 and the Lettings Customer Service award, also praising the firm for their New Homes division. Streets Ahead also publish an online property magazine; and for tenants looking for something a bit special, the Elite & Elegant service is available.
Daniels Estate Agents – Wembley, Kensal Rise & Neasden
Back to North London, and Daniels are another estate agents with its own property magazine. They also like to get fully immersed in the local community. They currently hold 2nd place on the Leaderboarded Top 1000 Power League for the property industry. Properties to buy or let can be viewed online as digital magazines and there is also a simple search facility on the home page.
