When recruiting staff for an estate agency franchise, you have a number of advantages over regular businesses. By being part of a franchise, you will be able to use the franchisor’s guidance and experience, and you will be recruiting staff into clearly defined roles. This should help to make the process much easier.
This article outlines some practical tips for recruiting for an estate agent franchise as well as some general ideas about how to find the right kind of person, which is often more challenging than finding someone who is qualified.
Define Clear Job Roles and Expectations
This is usually very easy to do within a franchise environment because a successful franchise will be built upon an operations manual with clearly defined job roles. In order for a franchise to work time and time again, the franchisor will have spent time determining which elements are required. For any business, the main resource is people, so the franchise should have detailed job descriptions outlining responsibilities, required skills, and qualifications.
Target Local Talent with Industry Knowledge
Focus on candidates familiar with the local property market, as they’ll understand regional trends, pricing, and client preferences.
Advertise on platforms like Rightmove Jobs, Zoopla, or Property Jobs to reach candidates with estate agency experience.
Use Online Recruitment Platforms
Use job boards like Indeed, LinkedIn, and Reed, which are popular in the UK for real estate roles. Tailor your postings with keywords like “estate agent,” “property consultant,” or “lettings negotiator” to attract relevant applicants.
Post on X to tap into local networks by sharing engaging job ads with hashtags like #UKPropertyJobs or #EstateAgentCareers. For example, a post like “Join our growing [Franchise Name] team in [Location]! Seeking passionate estate agents with great commission potential. Apply now! #PropertyJobs” can boost visibility.
Emphasize Training and Career Progression
It’s useful to highlight any training programs, such as those for ARLA (Association of Residential Letting Agents) or NAEA (National Association of Estate Agents) qualifications, which are highly valued in the UK. Likewise, the internal training and progression offered by the Belvoir Franchise Group, as well as its success in hundreds of franchises, should help to give candidates the confidence that they are joining an ambitious, growing business.
You should also promote career growth opportunities within your franchise, such as moving from negotiator to branch manager, to attract ambitious candidates.
Offer Competitive Compensation Packages
UK estate agents often expect a mix of base salary and commission. Research local market rates—e.g., a sales negotiator in London might earn £20,000–£30,000 base plus commission, while rural areas may be lower.
For more information see our article “How Much do Estate Agents Earn in the UK“
Include perks like company cars, flexible working, or performance bonuses to stand out. Mention these in job ads to attract top talent.
Use Networking and Referrals
Tap into industry networks like the Property Ombudsman or local business groups for referrals. Current employees may also recommend candidates—consider offering referral bonuses.
Attend property industry events or career fairs in the UK to meet potential hires face-to-face.
You might find that your real estate agent franchise can help. They may have the ability to provide you information on staff looking to relocate within the business that you might be able to find candidates from.
In addition, you may find candidates where you least expect. For example, in the estate agency industry, people with exceptional abilities in service are highly valuable. It is possible to find people working in pubs & bars that might be excellent here. You may find that their manner is essential & the skills required could be easily taught.
Think Through the Hiring Process
The right candidate is valuable & you won’t want them to be put off by a poor recruitment process. You may want to use applicant tracking systems (e.g., Workable or Teamtailor) to manage applications efficiently. Respond promptly to candidates to maintain a professional reputation.
You should also think of the kind of process that would help you uncover the right candidate. For example, you might want to conduct multi-stage interviews, including initial phone screenings, in-person or virtual interviews, and practical assessments (e.g., preparing a property listing).
Ensure Compliance with UK Employment Law
Your franchisor should have an employment process that will help you stay compliant with HR law. You’ll need to verify candidates’ right to work in the UK and conduct necessary background checks, especially for roles handling client funds. You’ll also need to adhere to UK equality laws by ensuring job ads and interviews are free from discriminatory language or practices.
Showcase Your Franchise’s Brand
Your franchise’s brand should help you to win candidates from other employers. If you are working for a franchise with history & a strong brand, people will want to be a part of that success & will feel that their job prospects are better. Highlight your franchise’s unique selling points, such as brand reputation, training programs, or commission structures, to attract candidates.
Use your franchise’s website and social media to promote your workplace culture. Share testimonials from current staff or highlight community involvement (e.g., sponsoring local events).
Get the Right Person to Fit with your Culture
This article has given guidance on the recruitment process but it is just as important to focus on the people. In business, the critical mistake can be in hiring somebody that just doesn’t fit. They may be excellent at their job, but they don’t quite fit the business.
Before hiring, be clear about your business’s values and make them a part of your recruitment process. There is no point in hiring somebody that doesn’t fit with your company’s ethos. By leading with your company’s values, you will enable people to self-select and you will find people that want to be part of your team.
A business system called EOS uses the ‘GWC method’ in order to help find the right people.
This stands for:
Get It, want it and have the capacity to do it.
In addition to seeing whether a person’s CV qualifies them for a job, this method ensures that you will find people who will be motivated to do the job. They need to get it.What this means is that they need to have a deep understanding of the business function and its associated roles. In other words, they have a good feel for the role.
In wanting it, it’s important to see whether the person wants to do the job and is motivated to work for you. Again, they may be good at it but do you think they really want to work for you?
Finally, there is the question of capacity. Is that person capable of doing what needs to be done? If not, you are going to have to give them additional training and resources and you need to know that at the outset.
By asking whether your job candidates get the job, want the job and have the capacity to do the job as well as by leading with your company’s values, you will end up with an additional set of criteria by which to judge people.
Many employers have fantastic people on their staff that just don’t fit or that suck time and attention away from what they really need to be doing. This additional layer of analysis should help you to weed out the wrong people.
In conclusion
With the Belvoir Franchise Group, franchisees are given support by the franchise. The operations team can help a franchisee to give guidance on the skills & temperament needed for a given role as well as what to look for in a candidate and when & where experience is necessary. In addition, Belvoir Group’s training portal has a training path for each role in the business. This means that training is provided to people in any role to take them through their probationary period. Our training materials will help to support candidates & ensure that they are aware of what’s required of them to be a valuable member of the team.
