What Phillip Arnold Auctions does

Phillip Arnold Auctions is a UK property auction house and RICS-registered valuation practice operating under the legal entity Arnold & Hobbs Ltd. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Ealing, West London, the firm runs seven scheduled property auctions per year covering residential and commercial real estate across the entire United Kingdom, and conducts all auctions via a remote-bidding-only online platform. Its primary seller-side customers are probate executors, government departments (including the Government Legal Department), housing associations, and corporate owners disposing of repossessions or portfolio stock; its primary buyer-side customers are cash investors, landlords, and developers sourced through a maintained buyer database and a network of joint-agent estate agents. Beyond auctions, the firm operates a Chartered Surveyors Division delivering RICS Red Book valuations for probate, insolvency, matrimonial, asset management, and staircasing purposes, as well as expert witness reports for property disputes.

The firm's core technology is its remote-bidding auction platform, which enables online-only participation in scheduled auctions, paired with an AuctionDocs-powered legal pack portal for digital distribution of due-diligence documentation. It does not appear to operate a mobile app, public API, or proprietary ML systems. Marketing is conducted through the company website, a regularly updated blog, email alerts to the buyer database, and video content including Property Week TV interviews. The technology stack is therefore functional and adequate rather than a source of differentiation.

Phillip Arnold Auctions monetises through three discrete streams: (i) auction seller commission on successful lots, (ii) a fixed buyers' premium of £600 inclusive of VAT per lot purchased, and (iii) professional services fees for RICS Red Book valuations and expert witness reports. Seller acquisition is supported by free market appraisals and instant online valuation tools, while buyer acquisition is sustained by the cash-buyer database and joint-agent referrals. The company is founder-led by Phillip Arnold (Auctioneer, Chartered Surveyor, Managing Partner, 40+ years of experience, Past President of NAVA, RICS Registered Valuer) and Julie Gooding (Director of Operations), with a headcount of 1-10 and no external institutional investment.

Name

Phillip Arnold Auctions

Legal name

Arnold & Hobbs Ltd

Website

https://philliparnoldauctions.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Phillip Arnold Auctions is a UK property auction house running seven annual remote-bidding auctions of residential and commercial real estate, serving probate executors, government, housing associations, and investors, and providing RICS Red Book valuations and expert witness reports.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Appraisers (531320)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Real Estate Auctions (BPAJAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Commercial Real Estate Auctions (BPAJAEAB), Bankruptcy, Probate & Estate Property Auctions (BPAJAEAG)

Keywords

• Property auctions
• Real estate valuations
• RICS valuations
• Probate valuations
• Auction house

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Auction Commission: Commission earned on successful property sales at auction
2. Buyers Premium: Buyers Premium of £600 inclusive of VAT charged to purchasers at auction
3. RICS Valuations: Professional RICS Red Book valuations for probate, insolvency, matrimonial disputes, asset management, and staircasing purposes. Report turnaround within 48 hours if required.
4. Expert Witness Reports: Expert Witness Reports for property price disputes, including court attendance if necessary

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Phillip Arnold Auctions is a UK-based public property auction house based in Ealing, London, conducting 7 remote-bidding property auctions per year for residential and commercial properties across the UK. Through its Chartered Surveyors Division, the firm also delivers RICS Red Book valuations for probate, insolvency, matrimonial disputes, asset management, and staircasing, alongside expert witness property reports.

Product overview

Phillip Arnold Auctions operates as a property auction house with a unified service offering that combines the core auction platform with specialized valuation and support services. The main auction service handles residential and commercial property sales across the UK through competitive bidding, supported by remote bidding capabilities. The Chartered Surveyors Division provides RICS Red Book Valuations including probate valuations, expert witness reports, and asset management valuations. Additional services include legal pack preparation, joint agent partnerships, and market appraisal tools. All auctions are conducted remotely with seven annual auction dates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Auction process typically completes within 6-8 weeks from instruction to exchange
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered regular and core.

• Government Legal DepartmentregularStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular stock supplier of properties for auction disposal, particularly repossessions and government-held properties
• Housing AssociationsregularStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular supplier of housing association properties for auction disposal
• Probate SolicitorsregularStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular referral source for probate property sales at auction, working closely with executors and solicitors
• Estate Agents (Joint Agents)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of estate agents working as joint agents on a 50-50 commission split. Agents receive payment within 7 days of exchange. Committed to prominent catalogue placement and buyer referrals for ongoing business.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Auction House UK: National UK property auction network with regional partner agents running regular auctions across England and Wales. Closely comparable operating model with a network of joint agents, similar to Phillip Arnold's 50-50 commission structure.
• Clive Emson Auctioneers: One of the UK's largest independent regional property auction houses, holding regular auctions across the South of England. Comparable regional property auction business with similar seller and buyer profile.
• Network Auctions: UK property auction house operating a national network of partner agents, running regular online and live auctions. Comparable model to Phillip Arnold with broader geographic coverage via partner agents.
• John Pye Auctions: UK auction house running property, insolvency, and chattels auctions across multiple regional hubs. Adjacent competitor with overlapping institutional supply relationships (insolvency, repossessions, probate).
• Strettons: London-based chartered surveyors and auctioneers running property auctions across commercial and residential segments. Similar RICS-credentialed, mid-sized UK auction model targeting London and surrounding regions.
• Allsop: One of the UK's largest property auction houses, running regular residential and commercial auctions with a national buyer database. Direct competitor to Phillip Arnold in the UK property auction category with broader scale and marketing reach.
• SDL Auctions (formerly SDL Property Auctions): UK-wide property auction business running both online and live auctions with national partner agent network. Direct competitor in the online auction segment where Phillip Arnold also operates.
• Barnard Marcus Auctions: London-based residential property auction brand within Countrywide. Competes directly for seller instructions in the London and South East market and benefits from significantly larger marketing budget and brand recognition.

Broad incumbents

• Savills Auctions: Part of the global Savills real estate advisory group, running UK property auctions alongside its broader agency, valuation, and advisory business. A larger incumbent offering competing auction services with substantially more scale.
• Cushman & Wakefield (UK Auctions): Global real estate services firm with a UK investment and auction advisory practice. Larger incumbent offering competing capital markets and disposal services to institutional property owners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brendons-auctioneers

Compliance7 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 Phillip Arnold Auctions