Conditional Selling in Estate Agency: Time for a Line in the Sand

Following the recent BBC documentary highlighting conditional selling practices in the estate agency and mortgage advice world, I felt compelled to speak up.

For those of us who operate with professionalism and integrity, the issues raised in the documentary are not surprising, they’ve been quietly tolerated within parts of our industry for far too long in my opinion. We’ve all experienced cases where some estate agents make clients feel they have no choice but to use their in-house or recommended mortgage broker (normally a brokerage that the agency owns), even when that broker has previously offered poor service or uncompetitive products. In many cases, clients believe their offer won’t be taken seriously unless they comply.

According to a 2024 Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) report, over 40% of consumers who used a broker connected to an estate agent said they felt pressured to do so. More worryingly, a Which? investigation found that 1 in 5 buyers were told, either explicitly or implicitly, that using the agent’s broker would give them a better chance of securing the property.

These practices not only undermine consumer choice but also damage trust in an industry that has made huge regulatory strides in recent decades.

At Fowler Smith, we’ve always taken a different approach. Our mission is simple: add value to everybody we communicate with. That means putting the client first, always. Not because we must, but because it’s the right thing to do.

We regularly provide training to our referring partners, focusing on how to introduce us in an ethical, transparent, and confidence-building way. We encourage partners to highlight our track record of adding real value to them as a business and it’s clients, to use examples of where we have been able to deliver for previous clients, either by saving them money, time or delivering an un-matched service and in my opinion this approach doesn’t just feel better, it actually works better all that are involved because clients who feel empowered in their choices are more likely to trust and return and we have proven this concept over the last few years’ time and time again.

I am very proud of the team here at Fowler Smith, we operate with the client at the forefront of everything we do, we of course try to provide an unmatched service to our referring partners consistently too. One of the ways we support both our clients, and our partners is through financial qualification calls. Typically offered when a client submits an offer on a property and of course this is only ever an offer, not essential for them to proceed; this 10–15-minute conversation allows us to assess affordability and provide insights to both the buyer and the agent (providing the prospective buyer agrees to allowing us to confirm affordability to the agency).

Of course, we explain what we do and offer our services, but the focus is on transparency and added value. If the client chooses to work with us, great but if not, we’re still proud to have provided a service that helps both parties move forward confidently.

This model is what ethical brokerage looks like in action, and we believe it should be celebrated.

We understand that recent media coverage may raise concerns and rightfully so. But we want to reassure all our referring partners: if you're working with Fowler Smith, you're referring clients to a team that puts their needs first, that values integrity, and that operates with full compliance and professionalism.

We’re proud to be part of the solution, not the problem and we want our partners to feel equally proud when introducing us.

The industry may be facing scrutiny and rightly so but let’s not allow unethical practices to overshadow the excellent work being done by many brokers across the UK. Let’s use this moment to reaffirm our commitment to clients, transparency, and genuine service.

Because when you operate ethically, there’s no need for pressure. After all, as I always tell my team, persistency in service will always result in sustained success.

Charlie Smith

Founder & Sales Director