FAQs

Q: What is the Best Estate Agent Guide?
A: The Best Estate Agent Guide is a consumer-facing website that aims to help the best agents promote their superior performance. It is compiled by Property Academy, with the support of data partners TwentyEA, and Principal Partners OnTheMarket.

Those agents whose property listings performance puts them in the 20% in the country are published on the Best Estate Agent Guide website.

Branches appearing in the guide are listed together with a rating, which identifies whether they achieved an excellent or exceptional result.

Visit www.bestestateagentguide.co.uk to view the current award year.

In addition, the best agencies are recognised at EA Masters, which is a Conference, Exhibition & Awards.

Q: Am I disadvantaged if I am not a member of OnTheMarket?
A: No. All agents are included in the assessment, regardless of which portal(s) they advertise on.

Q: What is the significance of the ratings in the Best Estate Agent Guide?
A: 80% of agents do not achieve a rating and are not listed in the Best Estate Agent Guide.

Around 5% – 10% of agencies are graded with an exceptional rating based on their performance. This equates to a gold award. A further 10% – 15% are designated as excellent.

Q: I’m an award winner in the Best Estate Agent Guide Awards, what does this mean?
A: There are 13,080 estate agency brands in the UK*. You are in a very elite group comprising the top performing agencies in the country.

Award winners and rated agents are recognised at the EA Masters. If you do not attend, your award and/or rating still stands and you will be listed on the website bestestateagentguide.co.uk

NB You may not publicise your award without a licence to do so.

*Source: TwentyEA Data 2023

Q: How many firms will receive an award?
A: Around 3,000 firms are published in the Best Estate Agent Guide. Only those that purchase a licence will receive award marques and other promotional materials.

Agents that attend the EA Masters event will be presented with a framed certificate. In addition, from amongst the award-winning agencies, the best agent for sales & lettings in their size band will be announced followed by the estate agency of the year, letting agency of the year and ‘winner of winners’.

Q: What are the specific benefits for award winners & rated agents who attend the EA Masters?
A: For over 20 years, EA Masters (formerly known as The Estate & Letting Agency of the Year Awards) has set the bar when it comes to events.

Comprising a conference, exhibition and awards, attendees receive:

• Learning & inspiration from successful agents & business speakers
• Insights from industry experts – both home-grown and internationally renowned
• Networking & ideas sharing with other leading agents
• A conference workbook to help you create an EA MasterPlan
• The opportunity to connect with leading industry suppliers with solutions to help your business grow
• An official framed certificate

In addition, the overall winners are presented with a trophy, engraved in perpetuity with their name, which is theirs to display for 10 months.

Q: I’m not a Best Estate Agent Guide Award Winner, does this mean I will not be featured in the Best Estate Agent Guide?
A:  You may still feature on the Best Estate Agent Guide website if your business has been rated as excellent.

You can search for agents that will be listed in the Best Estate Agent Guide 2024 and find out if they will be listed for sales, lettings or both.

The assessment is carried out annually.

Q: What are the size bands for the Best Estate Agent Guide Awards?
A: Award winners are selected from 4 size bands as follows:

• • Single branch
  • Small (2-5 branches)
  • Medium (6-20 branches)
  • Large (20+ branches and those agents that operate over multiple regions, such as national and online agents)
  • National (firms that operate online, without geographic boundaries).

Q: How have the best estate and letting agents been identified?
A: To identify and rate the best agents, the single largest assessment of customer service in the UK property industry has been carried out, covering traditional, hybrid and online agents. Using a series of algorithms, over 3 billion data points have been analysed to identify those agents with a consistently strong performance and this has been combined with customer ratings and review sentiment plus a peer review. The process assessed performance under the headings of:

• Marketing
• Customer service
• Results

Q: How do I know if my business has been assessed?
A: Agencies need to be involved with residential sales and/or lettings to be eligible for inclusion. Agencies specialising solely in commercial property, new homes developers (including agents that deal with sales of a particular development), halls of residence, retirement and holiday rentals are not eligible. In addition, agents need to have been trading and to have generated a minimum of 10 triggers for sales and/or lettings in their patch over the full assessment period.

Q: What criteria have you used to assess performance?
A: Data Analysis & Google Reviews

Q: Does it cost me to be included in the assessment?
A: No, being included in the assessment is free of charge for agents. The cost of the data & google review analysis is covered by Property Academy.

Q: Am I in the Best Estate Agent Guide?
A: The branches of those agencies that are found to be among the best are listed in the Best Estate Agent Guide. The Guide is updated annually.

Q: Does it cost me to be in the Best Estate Agent Guide?
A: No. A basic listing in the Best Estate Agent Guide is free of charge. There are opportunities to enhance your listing, should you choose to boost your presence in the guide.

Q: Why is a listing in the Best Estate Agent Guide important to me?
A: The Best Estate Agent Guide provides a way for agents who have performed to the highest standards in the country to stand out from their competitors. In addition, agents that purchase a licence can choose to market their attainment by displaying a distinctive winners marque.

Q: Can I promote my attainment in my own marketing?
A: Yes, winning agents & those listed in the Best Estate Agent Guide can choose to promote their attainment within their own marketing materials (e.g. in branch, on boards, on their own website, on social media channels, on third party websites – such as the property portals and printed materials). This is subject to paying a licence fee to the Property Academy. Using the winners’ marque, the Best Estate Agent Guide logo or referring to being listed in the Best Estate Agent Guide without paying the licence fee is strictly prohibited.

Q: How can I purchase a licence?
A: Licences go on sale shortly after the EA Masters event. We will contact agents that are listed in the Best Estate Agent Guide with details of how to purchase after the EA Masters event.

Q: What is the EA Masters?
A: The EA Masters is the “must attend” event for all estate and letting agents, unrivalled in the scale and quality of production. There are 3 key components

• The Exhibition
• The Conference
• The Awards

Q: Who can attend the EA Masters?
A: The EA Masters is an exclusive event for three key groups:

1. Agency owners, senior managers and front-line teams that have successfully made the Best Estate Agent Guide.
2. Any property professionals who want to continually raise standards and improve their knowledge, service levels and financial performance.
3. Suppliers that have invested in a Sponsor Package.

Q: What are the benefits of attending the EA Masters exhibition?
A: The event is sponsored by leading industry suppliers. Each supplier is encouraged to announce new products and services or feature upgrades and new developments. For many, this event is where they will unveil the latest products, giving those estate and lettings agency owners who attend the exhibition the first-mover advantage. As an estate agent, planning your time in the Innovation Hall enables you to meet the same number of suppliers in one day that would normally take months.

Many suppliers also provide ‘rewards’ exclusively to delegates of EA Masters, providing savings to those that sign up because of the event.

As an industry supplier, you can interact with some of the best performing estate agency owners and senior directors – enabling you to present your services to hard-to-reach buyers and decision makers.

Q: What are the benefits of attending the EA Masters conference?
A: The conference this year is Thriving in Uncertainty. The programme showcases examples of exceptional leadership from within & outside the property industry. It is designed to share information, provide insight and ideas and above all to inspire delegates to improve business performance.

In 2023 delegates will be provided with practical ideas to help them create their own EA MasterPlan & thrive in uncertain times.

Sign up to our mailing list to be informed as the conference programme is announced.

Q: What are the benefits of attending the EA Masters awards?
A: Delegates enjoy a 3-course lunch with wines, awards presentation with celebrity presenters and after-show party included. All agents that are listed in the Best Estate Agent Guide will be presented with a framed certificate and there are additional award categories recognising the best people, innovations & suppliers.

Q: What ticket types are there?
A:  There are 3 ticket types

• Premium Full Day (SOLD OUT FOR 2023)
• Standard Full Day
• Conference Half Day

NB There is no Awards Only ticket option.

Q: Are there discounts on tickets?
A: There are discounts for purchasing 10 or 12 standard full day tickets..

Members of OnTheMarket are eligible for a discount on single tickets purchased.

Q: Where does the EA Masters event take place?
A: The venue for EA Masters 2023 is Evolution London, Battersea Park, Chelsea Bridge, Queenstown Rd, London SW11 4NJ

Q: What time does the EA Masters start and end?
A: Registration opens at 8am, last orders is 9.30pm and the event closes at 10pm.

Q: What is the dress code?
A: The dress code is ‘business smart’. Layers and comfortable footwear are recommended. The awards ceremony takes place at lunchtime, not during the evening – this is not a black-tie event.

Q: Is there parking at the venue?
A: You are advised not to travel by car. Parking outside the venue is not permitted. There is a public pay & display car park near the Chelsea Bridge entrance to Battersea Park, which is a short / 5-minute walk from the venue. It is available on a first-come, first-served basis so spaces are not guaranteed.

Q: Getting to and from the venue
A: The venue is easily accessible from the London Underground, Victoria Main Line Station, by bus or taxi. If travelling by taxi, ask for the Chelsea Bridge entrance to Battersea Park.

A taxi rank will be available outside the venue from 9.30pm. The venue must be vacated by 10pm.

Q: How much do tickets to attend the EA Masters event cost?
A:  Tickets to the EA Masters start at £99 + VAT for a half day conference ticket (launching soon). The standard full day ticket is £449 + VAT with substantial discounts available for tables of 10 or 12 tickets. A premium full day ticket is £599 + VAT (Sold our for 2023)

All tickets are made available for Estate and Letting Agents only.

If you are a supplier interested in networking with agents at this event, find out about becoming a supporter

Q: When will tickets go on sale?
A: Tickets are on sale now. EA Masters always sells out, so book early to secure your place and avoid disappointment.

There is no requirement to buy tickets to the event and this does not influence in any way inclusion within the Best Estate Agent Guide.

Q: Who can buy tickets? Do I have to be an award winner or have branches listed in the Best Estate Agent Guide to attend?
A: Any estate or letting agent can purchase tickets to attend the EA Masters event.

Suppliers cannot purchase tickets. This is to protect the investment of those suppliers that are sponsoring the event. Suppliers can only attend by becoming a sponsor.

Q: How many tickets am I able to buy?
A: The maximum number of tickets per company is 12 (a table). Bringing team members enables you to network with more people and get more ideas, learn together to make acting after the event more efficient & effective and celebrate together. We encourage you to book as soon as possible to benefit from the best price.

Q: My ticket receipt is from Estate Agency Events. What is Estate Agency Events (EAE)?
A: EAE is the parent company for Property Academy. Invoices and receipts for all tickets/logins purchased for The EA Masters, (which is owned and organised by EAE trading as Property Academy), are issued by EAE and have the EAE logo on them.