Hern & Crabtree

What Hern & Crabtree does

Hern & Crabtree Ltd is a privately held, Cardiff-based independent estate and letting agency that traces its origins to 1849/1850 and self-identifies as Cardiff's longest-established independent estate agent. The company provides residential property sales, lettings and property management, probate valuation and estate management, and land/new homes/part exchange services for property developers, with mortgage advice delivered via a partnership with MT Polo Financial Advisors. Operationally, the firm runs three physical branches in Cardiff (Heath, Llandaff, and Pontcanna) and lists properties on the Rightmove and Zoopla portals, supplemented by an in-house sales progression team and digital tools including Made Snappy virtual tours, Valpal online valuation, and Google Analytics on its website.

The firm's revenue model combines transaction-based commission on residential sales and developer land/new homes deals with recurring lettings management fees, probate professional service fees, and indirect mortgage referral economics. Technology is a thin layer: virtual tour and valuation capabilities are sourced from third-party providers (Made Snappy, Valpal), and the company has no proprietary platform, mobile app, API, or AI/ML capability disclosed in the source material. Customer segments span individual property buyers and sellers (primary), landlords and tenants (primary), property developers (secondary), and probate/estate clients (secondary), all served within a Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan core with probate services extending to Wales and England.

The company is structured as a private limited company registered in England and Wales with no disclosed subsidiaries, parent entity, external investment, or M&A activity. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via branch offices and property portals, with marketing also conducted through Instagram, a blog/news journal, and Trustpilot reviews. Professional memberships (NAEA Propertymark, ARLA Propertymark, The Property Ombudsman, and Asiant Trwyddedig / Licensed Agent) provide regulatory standing but no proprietary regulatory moat.

Name

Hern & Crabtree

Legal name

Hern & Crabtree Ltd

Website

https://hern-crabtree.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1850

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hern & Crabtree is a Cardiff-based independent estate and letting agency, founded circa 1849, operating three branches in Heath, Llandaff, and Pontcanna. It provides residential sales, lettings, property management, probate, and developer services to individual buyers, sellers, landlords, and property developers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Estate Agency Services

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (531210), Residential Property Managers (531311), Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (53121)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Traditional Residential Brokerage (Existing Homes) (BPAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Property Management Advisory & Leasing Administration (FSAEAJAN), Land & Development Site Brokerage (BPAJABAG)

Keywords

• Residential property sales
• Lettings services
• Property management
• Estate agency
• Probate valuations

Headquarters

HQ city

Cardiff

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Residential Property Sales Commission: Commission-based revenue from residential property sales transactions
2. Lettings and Property Management: Ongoing property management and tenant placement services for landlords
3. Probate and Estate Valuation Services: Bespoke probate valuation services across Wales and England
4. Land and New Homes Services: Development land assessment, new build marketing, and part exchange property valuation and disposal

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hern & Crabtree is Cardiff's longest-established independent estate agent, providing residential property sales, lettings and property management, probate valuation and estate management, and land/new homes/part exchange services. The company supports customers from initial valuation through to completion with a dedicated sales progression team, professional photography, virtual tours, and online valuation tools, operating from three branch offices (Heath, Llandaff, Pontcanna) and listing on Rightmove and Zoopla.

Product overview

Hern & Crabtree is a traditional estate and letting agent operating as Cardiff's longest-established independent estate agents. Their core service portfolio includes residential property sales with dedicated sales progression support, lettings and property management for landlords, probate valuation and estate management services, and developer assistance for land and new homes. Additional offerings include mortgage advice (through MT Polo partnership), professional property photography with virtual tours and 360 VR viewings, and online valuation tools including instant valuations, mortgage calculators, and yield calculators. The company operates across Cardiff with multiple branch offices (Heath, Llandaff, Pontcanna) and advertises properties on major portals including Rightmove and Zoopla.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Sales Estate agency service for selling residential properties, providing dedicated sales progression team support, local market expertise, and full support from initial valuation through to completion. Targeted at Cardiff-area homeowners.
• Lettings and Property Management Full property management service for landlords across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, covering tenant sourcing, rent collection, property maintenance coordination, and Welsh landlord regulatory compliance. Targeted at landlords and property investors.
• Probate Services and Estate Management Bespoke probate valuation and estate management services available across the UK, with experience working across Wales and England. Targeted at executors, solicitors, and families handling estate property.
• Land, New Homes and Part Exchange Specialist services for property developers of all sizes, including development land assessment and acquisition support, new build property marketing, and valuation and disposal of part exchange properties. Targeted at residential property developers.
• Mortgage Advice Mortgage advice service delivered in partnership with MT Polo Financial Advisors (FCA-authorised), covering first-time buyers, remortgaging, buy-to-let, commercial mortgages, and wealth management. Targeted at property buyers and investors.
• Property Photography and Virtual Tours Professional photography, HD walkthrough movies, 360 Virtual Reality viewings with 3D dolls house models, and detailed floorplans for property marketing. Targeted at sellers and landlords marketing properties.
• Online Property Valuation Tools Free online valuation tools including instant online property valuation, mortgage calculator, affordability calculator, and yield calculator for buyers, sellers, and landlords. Targeted at residential property buyers, sellers, and landlords.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MT Polo Financial AdvisorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMortgage advisory partnership providing financial advice to property buyers. Hern and Crabtree have teamed up with MT Polo to help customers find the best mortgage deals. MT Polo is directly authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
• RightmovecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary property portal listing partner where Hern & Crabtree properties are advertised
• ZooplacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSecondary property portal listing partner for property marketing
• NAEA PropertymarkminorOthersProfessional body membership for estate agents, demonstrating professional standards compliance
• ARLA PropertymarkminorOthersProfessional body membership for letting agents, demonstrating professional standards in lettings
• The Property OmbudsmanminorOthersDispute resolution service membership providing consumer protection

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Moginie James: Cardiff-based independent estate agency offering residential sales, lettings, and property management. Closest direct competitor given shared Cardiff focus, similar multi-branch local presence, and overlapping service lines.
• Darlows: Welsh-focused estate agency (part of Spicerhaart group) covering Cardiff and South Wales. Direct competitor in the same regional market with residential sales, lettings, and property management, and stronger group backing.

Broad incumbents

• Foxtons: UK residential estate agency known for high-street branch presence and premium brand marketing. Same sales and lettings business model but mostly London-focused, with similar reliance on branch network and portal marketing.
• Connells Group: One of the UK's largest residential estate agency and property services groups, with extensive branch network. Directly comparable in business model (residential sales, lettings, mortgage services) but with materially larger scale and national coverage.
• Knight Frank: International residential and commercial property consultancy with established UK estate agency operations. Competes in the same residential sales and lettings category but operates at premium positioning across major UK cities, including elements of the Welsh market.
• Savills: Global real estate advisory and agency firm with substantial UK residential sales and lettings presence. Comparable as a provider of residential brokerage and property management services, but at much larger scale and with broader geographic and asset-class coverage than Hern & Crabtree.
• Spicerhaart: Large UK estate agency group owning multiple high-street brands. Comparable in residential sales and lettings, with branch-based model and integrated mortgage services; substantially larger scale than Hern & Crabtree.
• Your Move: National UK estate agency chain offering residential sales, lettings, and mortgage services. Comparable branch-based business model and integrated services, with a similar brand-name, sub-market positioning strategy.

Direct peers

• Purplebricks: UK hybrid online estate agency offering fixed-fee residential sales. Directly competes for the same Cardiff sellers with a low-overhead, digital-first model that pressures traditional agents' commission economics.
• Yopa: UK hybrid estate agency combining local agents with online platform. Competes for the same residential sales market with a tech-enabled, lower-fee proposition that directly threatens traditional branch-based competitors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/hernandcrabtree
• Xx.com/hernandcrabtree

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Hern & Crabtree