Estate agents take majority stake in UK's Ethical Agent Network

What's the deal? Nick Cheshire and Dan Kirby, who run Essex estate agency the NestDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, have acquired a majority stake in the Ethical Agent NetworkDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → (EAN). The pair will run the day-to-day operations and future development of the network, while founder Jerry Lyons stays on as head of PR and community consultancy.

What each side does: The EAN launched in March 2024 to connect independent estate and letting agencies committed to high standards of client service. Members are assessed before joining and promise honesty, community involvement, staff development, and putting clients first. Cheshire and Kirby, both founding members, run their own agency alongside their new role.

Why now? The deal follows six months in which the pair took an increasingly active role, introducing Mini MastermindsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, new guides, a member app, and improved member support. "Members will have seen a lot of changes and improvements over the past few months, and the truth is Nick and Dan have been driving much of that," Lyons says.

What's the endgame? The buyers want to grow the membership and improve public perception of agents. "We're estate agents ourselves, so our focus is on making the EAN genuinely useful to agency owners while protecting the principles that made us want to join in the first place," Kirby says.

Lyons said he picked the pair despite a higher rival offer. "I had two offers for the business, and, for complete transparency, one was for more money," he said. "But I've worked with Nick and Dan for years. I trust them, they understand estate agency deeply and they genuinely believe in what the EAN stands for." He will remain a shareholder and ambassador.

The signal: Ownership of the network passing to active practitioners rather than the highest bidder points to a bet that credibility matters more than cash in a sector where membership hinges on trust and strict entry standards — agencies typically need 50 or more genuine GoogleDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → reviews averaging 4.5 stars to qualify.

Read more: estateagenttoday.co.uk

Image credit: Generated with Gemini