What Humberts does

Humberts is a UK-headquartered estate agency group operating under Humberts Group Limited, a private limited company registered in Norwich, England. Founded in 1842 by Charles Humbert, the firm runs ten owned regional offices across England spanning Cornwall to Yorkshire plus a Dubai regional office, with an additional franchise/license channel for third-party expansion. The company serves residential buyers, sellers, landlords, commercial property owners, developers, and leisure property operators through five service divisions: Residential (sales, lettings, land and new homes, auctions, conveyancing, mortgages), Commercial (agency, lettings, asset management, business rating, finance, auctions, valuation), Leisure (holiday complexes), Surveys and Valuations (RICS Home Surveys and Red Book valuations), and Franchise.

Revenue is generated primarily through transaction-based commissions on residential sales, recurring management fees on lettings portfolios, auction fees, professional valuation charges, and franchise license fees. Pricing is pay-as-you-go with free valuations as a customer acquisition tool. Distribution relies on owned offices, franchise partners, the company's digital platform, and listings on Rightmove and Zoopla. The technology stack is conventional estate-agency software with digital marketing capabilities and a SmartProperty integration for asset management reserve studies; no proprietary AI or platform technology is disclosed.

The firm holds RICS, ARLA/Propertymark, and The Property Ombudsman certifications in the UK, and in 2026 received the IREM Accredited Management Organisation designation in Dubai through a partnership with Itihad Community Management. The company has 51-100 employees, no institutional investment, and operates through multiple wholly-owned subsidiary entities including CH Norwich Limited, Humberts Devon Ltd, Simon Lewis Agencies Ltd, ABL Property Group Ltd, and CH Dubai Limited.

Name

Humberts

Legal name

Humberts Group Limited

Website

https://humberts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1842

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Humberts is a UK estate agency group founded in 1842 offering residential sales, lettings, commercial, leisure, and surveying services across 10 regional offices plus Dubai, serving individual property owners, landlords, and commercial investors through owned branches and a franchise network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Estate Agency Services

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (53121), Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Real Estate Brokerage (Buy/Sell) (FSAEAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Transitional/Development Land Brokerage (Entitled, In-Path-of-Growth) (BPAJADAJ), Recreational Land Brokerage (Hunting, Fishing, Wildlife) (BPAJADAD)

Keywords

• Residential estate agency
• Commercial property services
• Property auctions
• Surveys and valuations
• Lettings management

Headquarters

HQ city

Norwich

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Residential Sales Commission: Commission-based revenue from residential property sales, with sales progression services to ensure completions
2. Residential Lettings Fees: Management services for landlords including tenant find, referencing, compliance, rent collection, property management, maintenance, and inspections. Fees include holding deposits (1 week's rent), tenancy deposits (5-6 weeks' rent), and management commissions
3. Commercial Agency and Management: Commercial property acquisitions, disposals, lettings, asset management, business ratings, and commercial valuations
4. Professional Valuations: RICS Red Book valuations for commercial and residential properties, surveys, and professional property advice
5. Property Auctions: Auction services for residential and commercial properties with 28-day completion timelines

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Humberts is a heritage UK estate agency providing full-service residential sales, lettings and management, commercial property agency and asset management, leisure (holiday complex) advisory, RICS-accredited surveys and valuations, and a franchise/licence model. The company sells its own professional services through a regional office network and through digital portals, with revenue primarily generated from transaction commissions and recurring management fees.

Product overview

Humberts is a traditional estate agency operating as a single unified brand rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The company offers a comprehensive range of property services organized into five main divisions: Residential (Sales, Lettings, Land and New Homes, Auctions, Conveyancing, Mortgages), Commercial (Agency, Lettings, Asset Management, Business Rating, Finance, Auctions, Valuation), Leisure (Holiday Complexes), Surveys and Valuations, and Franchise opportunities. Supporting modules include Homesearch for property discovery and Humberts Living for home management support. The company operates primarily in the UK with one office in Dubai, serving customers from first-time buyers to portfolio investors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Sales Full-service estate agency for buyers and sellers of residential property, including marketing, viewings, sales progression, and chasing of related chains and solicitors through to completion.
• Residential Lettings Management services for residential landlords including tenant find, referencing, compliance, tenancy administration, deposit safeguarding, rent protection, property management and maintenance.
• Land and New Homes End-to-end service for developers, housebuilders and landowners from acquisition through disposal, including new home sales, land sales, asset management, and retirement living services.
• Residential Property Auctions Auctioneering service curating and managing sales of diverse residential, rural and unique properties including probate sales, investment opportunities, and buildings needing modernisation, with 28-day completion timelines.
• Commercial Agency Handling of commercial property acquisitions, disposals and lettings as workplace needs change, supported by a database of registered purchasers and tenants.
• Commercial Lettings Specialist service for commercial landlords and tenants covering compliance, sub-letting, rent reviews, lease renewals and tenancy agreements under the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954.
• Asset and Commercial Management Management and asset specialist service for commercial properties including rent collection, accounting, service charge budgeting, facilities management, tenant liaison, and risk management.
• Business Rating Business rates advisory service comparing what clients are paying against current rental values and local market conditions, using the Check, Challenge, Appeal system to challenge assessments.
• Commercial Valuation RICS Red Book valuations for retail, offices, industrial units, farms, business parks, warehouses, investment properties and development land.
• Commercial Finance Funding advisory for the commercial property sector covering commercial mortgages, bridging loans, and preparation for funding applications.
• Commercial Property Auctions Auctioneering service managing the sale of commercial property assets, from land and building plots through to commercial development and investment opportunities.
• Leisure (Holiday Complexes) Specialist service for holiday letting businesses including valuation, sale, purchase and management of holiday letting complexes, lodge parks, campsites, caravan parks, guest accommodation and hotels.
• Surveys and Valuations RICS Home Surveys (Level 1, 2, 3), building surveys, and valuations for secured lending, probate, matrimonial, taxation, and insurance reinstatement purposes.
• Franchise Licence to trade as Humberts in a chosen territory, providing access to the firm's intellectual property rights, name, website, databases, and cross-referrals within the Humberts network; after 5 years licensees can purchase their area in perpetuity.

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Itihad Community ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026Joint partnership between Humberts Dubai and Itihad Community Management resulting in both firms becoming among the first in the UAE to receive IREM's AMO accreditation. This accreditation signifies excellence in governance, ethical practice, and operational standards in property management.
• RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors)coreOthersHumberts offices are certified by RICS for professional standards. All surveyors are RICS members providing Red Book valuations. The company holds RICS Client Money Protection certification.
• Propertymark / ARLAcoreOthersHumberts Lettings offices are certified by ARLA (Association of Residential Letting Agents) and Propertymark. The company participates in Propertymark Client Money Protection Scheme.
• The Property OmbudsmancoreOthersHumberts is a member of The Property Ombudsman scheme providing independent review of complaints. Customers can refer complaints to the ombudsman if not satisfied with Humberts' final response within 12 months.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Strutt & Parker: UK-focused estate agency and consultancy with a strong rural, residential, and commercial property practice. Highly comparable to Humberts given its heritage positioning, country-house expertise, and multi-vertical offering spanning farms, estates, and town houses.
• Hamptons: UK estate agency with strong presence in prime and country residential markets, part of a larger property group. Comparable to Humberts across residential sales, lettings, and professional valuations in southern England geographies.
• Chestertons: Heritage UK estate agency (founded 1805) operating in prime London and international residential markets. Comparable to Humberts in heritage positioning, premium residential focus, and international office presence.
• Savills: Global real estate services firm with a substantial UK residential, commercial, rural, and leisure property practice. Direct competitor to Humberts in prime residential and country-house agency, professional valuations, and commercial advisory across overlapping UK geographies.
• Foxtons: London-centric residential sales and lettings agency with strong brand recognition and a branch-driven service model. Comparable to Humberts in full-service residential agency, though more concentrated geographically.
• Winkworth: UK estate agency network operating a franchise/license model very similar to Humberts, with national coverage through franchised offices. Closely comparable business model and franchisee economics, particularly relevant for benchmarking Humberts' capital-light expansion strategy.
• Knight Frank: International property consultancy with deep UK residential sales/lettings and commercial agency operations. Closely comparable to Humberts across HNW residential, rural estates, commercial agency, and professional valuations.

Others

• Rightmove: UK's largest property portal where Humberts and most peers list inventory. Portal dependency is structural — both a critical distribution channel and a source of rising marketing cost for traditional agencies.

Emerging players

• Purplebricks: UK hybrid/digital estate agency offering lower fixed fees than traditional agents. Represents the disruptive model pressuring traditional agencies like Humberts on price and customer acquisition in the online-led segment.

Broad incumbents

• Countrywide (Connells Group): One of the largest UK estate agency groups with hundreds of branches across residential sales, lettings, and commercial. Larger and broader incumbent competing head-on with Humberts in many UK regional markets; useful for benchmarking scale economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/humbertsdorset
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/humberts-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Humberts