London Estate Agents – Earning Half the Tea in China.

My fellow geniuses and I at eMoov have just finished a cool piece of research. It will shock you. And if you’re an estate agent of the dyed-in-the-wool variety, spare your blushes and look away now.

We thought it would be informative, probably shocking and certainly controversial to analyse the amount that Londoners have spent on estate agency fees in the last year that figures are available for.

To put this in context, in a rolling 12 month period  there were 108,891 homes sold in the London boroughs. That’s about 12% of the UK total. We used the Office of National Statistics to provide this data.

Unsurprisingly, London has the highest house prices in the country and, almost, the world. We found that the typical London property value is now £579,478.

Which means that across the capital the average home seller pays over £8400 in estate agency fees.

When we rolled up our sleeves and delved into each borough, there were some startling stats that transpired. For instance, Kensington & Chelsea has an average house price of knocking on the door of £2m and, given its 2241 sales each year, paid over to its largely traditional, multi-branch estate agents a whopping £62.3m in estate agency commissions. In fact probably more, because for consistency we’ve used the 1.22% plus vat that My Home Move conveyancers states as the average UK estate agency fee (20,000 transactions in 2015) even though in Prime Central London especially, it’s nearer 2%. Conservatively, a Kensington and Chelsea’ite  is therefore relieved of nearly £28,000 for every home sold in the Royal Borough. A big ouch, even for the well heeled.

£62.3m is rather a lot of money. In fact it’s more than the Government recently increased it’s spending on space technology by. And more than the Chinese spend on computer fibre optics.

The league table of rip-off estate agency costs in London includes £54m spent in Wandsworth; £35m in Camden; £20m in Hackney; and £11m in Newham which, respectfully, is by no means the most affluent part of the city and surely can little afford to line the pockets of estate agents so.

With the exception of the handful of transactions in the square mile, Barking and Dagenham is bottom (or top, depending on how you look at it) for its willingness to grease the palms of our sharp suited property peers. ‘Only’ £7.6m is handed over annually there, an average of £3,405 a pop.

The total amount paid out by Londoners in our analysis over the year? £861.5m. That’s eight hundred and sixty one million, five hundred thousand pounds. Or, if you like, just an exaggerated lounge measurement away from £ billion.

Not quite all the tea in China, but close.

(For the record, China produces 855,000 metric tonnes of tea each year. It’s current price is £2.30 per kilo. That’s about £2billion. In other words, each year London estate agents are earning half the tea in China)

Seems unfeesable (mis-spell intended). But it’s true.

Alex Evans

You May Also Enjoy

small house bird box
Breaking News

UK First Time Buyers better off than many other global nations

Is it really that bad being a first-time buyer? UK better off than many other global nations when it comes to affordability The latest market analysis from Yopa, the full-service estate agents, reveals that first-time buyers (FTBs) in the UK may be paying 63% more to get a foot on the property ladder than they…
Read More
new build homes colchester essex
Breaking News

Building Safety Regulator Reform

The Government has announced reforms to the Building Safety Regulator, including leadership, process and investment. The changes are hoped to deliver 1.5 million homes. The reforms pave the way for creation of a single construction safety regulator, as recommended by the Grenfell Tower enquiry. David Smith, property litigation partner at London law firm Spector Constant…
Read More
Breaking News

New anti-money laundering rules now in effect: what landlords need to know

New anti-money laundering (AML) rules came into effect this month, marking a significant change for landlords and the lettings industry as a whole. The new rules mean financial sanctions checks are now required for all lettings, regardless of how much rent is charged. Here, Steve Bond, managing director of residential lettings for Beresfords, explains what…
Read More
Breaking News

What landlords need to know about the upcoming Renters Rights Bill

The government’s long-awaited Renters Rights Bill is one of the most significant overhauls of the private rental sector in decades. While it has not yet received royal assent, the legislation is expected to come into effect late this year, or early in 2026. With the bill moving closer to becoming law, Steven Bond, managing director…
Read More
Breaking News

Mortgage approvals bounce back in May

The latest figures show that: – Mortgage approvals on house purchases for May sat at 63,032 up 3.9% from 60,656 in April. The monthly increase seen in May marks the end of four months of previous decline, with approval levels having fallen each month since January of this year. Approvals are also 2.5% higher than…
Read More
Breaking News

Money and Credit – May 2025

Key points: Net borrowing of mortgage debt by individuals increased by £2.8 billion to £2.1 billion in May, following a large decrease in net borrowing of £13.8 billion to -£0.8 billion in April. Net mortgage approvals for house purchases increased by 2,400 to 63,000 in May. Approvals for remortgaging also increased by 6,200 to 41,500…
Read More