Founders Unite behind CIELA – “Independent agents to own their future”:

Following on from our exclusive interview with Charlie Wright of CIELA last week – They have now had their Founder Members meeting – News Update:

Attendees at today’s preliminary meeting of prospective Founder Members of the Charter for Independent Estate and Letting Agents, all active owner-managers of independent firms, have unanimously signed a Letter of Intent to move forward with the formal inauguration, expressing total support for the idea based on what was presented to them today.

– The next meeting, an all day session to review details of the proposed club articles, proposals, membership offerings and contracts, will be held on Wednesday 22nd February at a location to be confirmed, with a view to formal inauguration on 1st March.

The Names of the Founder Members are:

Donald Collins – Go View London, http://www.goviewlondon.co.uk/
Tom Bloomfield – Bloomfield Grey, http://bloomfieldgrey.co.uk/
Richard à Brassard – Courtenay, www.courtenay.co.uk
Kristjan Byfield – Base Property Specialists www.baseps.co.uk
Nick Goldsworthy/Andy Ferguson – Logic Estates, www.logicestates.co.uk
Peter Wetherell – Wetherell of Mayfair, www.wetherell.co.uk
Jay Chitnis – HJC Estates, www.hjc.co.uk
Perry Power – Power Bespoke, www.powerbespoke.co.uk
Luke Gidney – Let Leeds, www.let-leeds.com

Simon Gresswell – Finlay Brewer, www.finlaybrewer.co.uk

There is a waiting list of 16 further agency owners who have asked to be considered for any un-taken positions which may arise.

The two remaining positions are being held for female founders, and it is the Club’s hope that at least one but preferably two women Founder Members apply to join, and to that end we welcome any applications either by email to club.secretary@ciela.co.uk or via the registration form on our website at www.ciela.co.uk/register.

The question of whether or not a challenger portal might be launched was not discussed at this meeting, but it was re-confirmed by the Club Founder Charlie Wright that, even if the club succeeds in gathering the required support to launch, and even if members demand a vote and vote in favour of launching a new portal, such a vote is, at the very soonest, one year away, and a portal offering does not constitute part of the launch plans of the CIELA organisation.

The overwhelming topic of discussion was the lack of success or total support for any organisation launched to date, and how to overcome the understandable cynicism within the industry, having had it’s fingers burnt so often in the past.

The question raised was, with the required initial membership structure of Founder Members, Regional, County and London Borough officers which would total almost 100 club officers, what would be necessary to win the majority support of the approximately 15,000 small independent agency businesses across the country.

“Will independent agents unite swiftly in majority numbers?” was seen as the major question, and received unanimous support for the outline idea. The Founder outlined his strategy for overcoming this challenge, and explained that he has a detailed 8 point plan to ensure that every independent agent in the country will want to join from the outset, a plan he will present in detail at the next meeting.

Christopher Walkey

Founder of Estate Agent Networking. Internationally invited speaker on how to build online target audiences using Social Media. Writes about UK property prices, housing, politics and affordable homes.

You May Also Enjoy

for sale sign london
Breaking News

New-build demand dips in Q3 as homebuyers sit tight ahead of autumn statement

The latest market analysis from Property Inspect has found that fewer than one in five new homes are currently securing a buyer, with homebuyer demand for new-build properties falling on both a quarterly and annual basis. Property Inspect analysed current market listings looking at what proportion of new-build properties are already marked as sold subject…
Read More
Breaking News

Rightmove celebrates 25 years of viral property moments

As Rightmove marks its 25th birthday, we’re celebrating the properties that stopped people mid-scroll, sparked thousands of shares, and became internet sensations. From a house with its own Tardis to a shark crashing through a roof, these homes prove that the UK property market is anything but ordinary. With billions of minutes spent on Rightmove…
Read More
Breaking News

Rental stock availability in England rises by 19.7%

The latest rental stock analysis from Adiuvo, the UK’s leading provider of 24/7 property management solutions, reveals that tenants in England are benefitting from a 19.7% increase in stock over the 12 months leading up to Q3 2025. In some areas of the country, annual stock growth easily exceeded 50%. Adiuvo has analysed rental listings…
Read More
Breaking News

Tenant demand continues to climb in Q3 as rental market shows no signs of cooling

The latest market analysis by Dwelly, one of the UK’s leading lettings acquisition and success planning experts, has revealed that tenant demand continued to climb across the rental sector during the third quarter of this year, with West Sussex home to the highest demand, whilst Rutland saw the largest quarterly increase. Dwelly’s Rental Demand Index* analyses…
Read More
Breaking News

Halifax House Price Index for September 2025 – Thoughts from the Industry

Halifax House Price Index for September 2025. The latest index shows that: On a monthly basis, house prices fell by -0.3% between August and September 2025. However, house prices were up 1.3% on an annual basis. The new average house price now sits at £298,184. Thoughts from the Industry. Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark, comments:…
Read More
Breaking News

Halifax House Price Index for September 2025

House prices in September 2025 were -0.3% lower than the same month a year earlier. Average house price – £298,184 Monthly change -0.3% Quarterly change +0.4% Annual change +1.3%   Amanda Bryden, Head of Mortgages, Halifax, said: “The average UK house price edged down by -0.3% (£794) in September, following a modest rise in August.…
Read More