Roberts Vain Wilshaw

What Roberts Vain Wilshaw does

Roberts Vain Wilshaw (RVW) is a boutique UK commercial property consultancy operating under the legal entity Astrius Ltd from its headquarters in Preston Brook, Warrington, with additional offices in Manchester, Cheshire, and Rugby (Midlands). The firm employs approximately 13 people and serves owner-occupiers and property investors ranging from one-off transactions to large national portfolios. Its core differentiator is the proprietary "Core" data platform, which aggregates commercial property information from 300+ sources covering 2.1 million properties and 1.6 million occupiers across the UK, supporting occupier identification, portfolio management, market profiling, and opportunity assessment. Core is integrated with third-party client systems via APIs and was first utilised by a large national asset management company in 2021.

The firm's revenue is generated through five professional services streams: agency (acquisitions and disposals), business rates advisory, empty rates advisory, building consultancy (surveys, dilapidations, project management), and lease consultancy (rent reviews, lease renewals, regears). A separate revenue stream is derived from licensing the Core data platform to external clients. Pricing is bespoke and quote-based, with multi-year contract cadences disclosed but no public price list. RVW goes to market through direct, relationship-driven client engagement by its chartered surveyor team, supplemented by joint agency partnerships (notably Savills) and a content-led digital presence across LinkedIn, X, and an owned website with email newsletter. The senior leadership team — including Managing Director Richard Roberts (formerly COO of Altus Group for 8+ years), Principal Directors Paul Roberts and Joseph Wilshaw, and Director Rick Paterson (ex-Valuation Office) — collectively brings several decades of specialist business rates and agency expertise, which underpins the firm's positioning.

RVW is regulated by RICS and is a member of the Property Ombudsman Scheme and CEDR for dispute resolution, providing the professional accreditations expected of UK chartered surveying firms. The business is founder/partner-operated with no disclosed external institutional ownership, no funding rounds, and no M&A activity in the available data. Strategic emphasis to date has been on deepening the Core data asset, expanding geographic reach (Midlands office opened October 2023), and growing the data licensing revenue line.

Name

Roberts Vain Wilshaw

Legal name

Astrius Ltd

Website

https://rvwcs.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Roberts Vain Wilshaw is a boutique UK firm of Chartered Surveyors offering commercial property consultancy — acquisitions, disposals, business rates, lease advisory, building consultancy — to owner-occupiers and investors, differentiated by its proprietary 'Core' data platform covering 2.1 million UK properties and 1.6 million occupiers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Preston Brook

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Property Acquisition and Disposal Services: Professional consultancy fees for commercial property acquisition and disposal transactions.
2. Business Rates Consulting: Expert consultancy on business rates including empty property rates management and rates mitigation strategies.
3. Building Consultancy Services: Building condition surveys and professional advice on commercial property assets.
4. Lease Advisory Services: Lease consultation and advisory services for commercial property tenants and owners.
5. Property Data Licensing: Licensing of proprietary property and occupier data to third parties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Roberts Vain Wilshaw is a boutique UK firm of Chartered Surveyors providing commercial property consultancy services, including property acquisition and disposal (agency), business rates advisory, empty rates management, building consultancy, and lease advisory. The firm underpins its advice with a proprietary 'Core' data platform aggregating over 300 sources covering 2.1 million UK properties and 1.6 million occupiers, and also licenses this data and offers API access to third parties.

Product overview

Roberts Vain Wilshaw is a boutique firm of Chartered Surveyors offering a suite of commercial property consultancy services. Their core differentiator is the proprietary 'Core' data platform, which aggregates data from over 300 sources covering 2.1 million properties and 1.6 million occupiers. This platform underpins their service offerings including Business Rates Advisory, Empty Rates Services, Agency Services (Acquisitions and Disposals), Building Consultancy, and Lease Consultancy. The company also licenses their Core data to clients and integrates it with third-party systems via APIs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Core: Proprietary data platform that aggregates data from over 300 sources to create a system with over 2.1m properties and 1.6m occupiers. Used for occupier identification, portfolio management, market profiling, and opportunity assessment.

Products and services

• Agency Services Commercial property acquisition and disposal services for owner-occupiers, investors, funds, and property companies, including identifying on-market and off-market opportunities, negotiating terms, and tailored strategies for selling and letting commercial property (offices, warehouses, industrial, land) across the North West and Midlands.
• Business Rates Advisory Specialist business rates advice for occupiers covering valuation, reduction negotiations, and compliance with rating legislation across a wide range of property types including offices, industrial, and unique one-off properties.
• Empty Rates Services Specialist advice on empty property rates for owners, including void management, mitigation strategies, occupier management, and pre-acquisition due diligence for property portfolios.
• Building Consultancy Technical and legal advisory services covering building fabric surveys, pre-acquisition surveys, dilapidations advice, project management, contract administration, asbestos surveys, and expert witness reports for commercial property clients.
• Lease Consultancy Rent review, lease renewal, and lease re-gear services combining technical expertise with comprehensive market knowledge to minimise occupational costs for tenants and maximise value for landlords.
• Core Data Platform (Property Data) Proprietary data platform aggregating commercial property data from over 300 sources, covering 2.1 million UK properties and 1.6 million occupiers, used for occupier identification, portfolio building, market profiling, and complex analytics. The platform is also licensed to clients and integrated with third-party systems via APIs for in-house opportunity assessment and market profiling.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SavillscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSavills acts as joint agents with RVW on commercial property transactions. RVW collaborates with Savills on joint agency basis for property marketing and transaction execution, particularly in Trafford Park and Manchester areas.
• Logicor UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLogicor UK partnered with RVW for the launch of a property at Altrincham. Logicor is a major logistics real estate provider, and the partnership involved joint property launch activities.
• Garrison Real EstateminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRVW works with Garrison Real Estate on commercial property matters. Working relationship on joint property transactions and client referrals.
• RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors)coreOthersRVW is regulated by RICS, the leading global professional body for chartered surveyors. Membership ensures adherence to professional standards and codes of conduct.
• CEDRminorOthersRVW utilises CEDR (Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution) for dispute resolution services when required in property consultancy engagements.
• Property Ombudsman SchememinorOthersRVW is a member of the Property Ombudsman Scheme, providing consumer protection and dispute resolution for property transactions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Savills: Global real estate advisor with full UK commercial property coverage. RVW operates as joint agents with Savills on North West transactions, and they directly compete for the same UK commercial agency and advisory mandates at different scales.
• JLL: Global real estate services and investment management firm. Competes with RVW across commercial agency, lease consultancy, building consultancy, and valuation, with a much larger technology and data platform footprint.
• Cushman & Wakefield: Global commercial real estate services firm with deep UK presence across agency, valuation, and consultancy. Competes with RVW for institutional and corporate commercial property mandates, especially in agency and lease advisory.
• Knight Frank: Global property advisor with established UK commercial agency and consultancy practices. Competes with RVW for commercial investment, agency, and lease advisory mandates across UK regions.
• CBRE: World's largest commercial real estate services firm. Competes with RVW for major UK commercial property mandates, with particular overlap in agency and lease advisory for occupier and investor clients.
• Altus Group: Global commercial real estate data, advisory, and software firm — RVW's principals (Richard Roberts, Joseph Wilshaw) previously held senior roles there. Directly comparable to RVW's Core data platform and rates advisory business.

Direct peers

• Bidwells: UK property consultancy with a commercial agency, building consultancy, and rates offering. Most directly comparable to RVW as a similarly-sized UK firm targeting mid-market commercial property clients.
• Fisher German: UK chartered surveying firm with strong regional presence across the Midlands and North West. Direct competitor to RVW in commercial agency, business rates, and building consultancy for owner-occupier and investor clients.
• Lambert Smith Hampton: UK-focused commercial property consultancy offering agency, building consultancy, and business rates. Mid-tier UK firm competing for similar owner-occupier and investor mandates as RVW, particularly in regional markets.
• Eddisons: UK-wide chartered surveying and commercial property consultancy. Competes with RVW in commercial agency, business rates, building consultancy, and lease advisory across regional UK markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rvwcs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rvwcs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Roberts Vain Wilshaw