A property-sourcing business needs more than access to potential deals. Before charging clients, establish what the business actually does, which requirements apply and how the service will be described.
HMRC’s estate-agency guidance expressly includes businesses introducing buyers or investors to a property deal, describing activities such as property sourcing, deal packaging and investment brokering. Calling the service something different does not by itself take it outside the rules. HMRC’s registration guidance says trading as an estate-agency business without the required money-laundering supervision registration is a criminal offence.
Government guidance also says an estate agent dealing with UK residential property must join an approved redress scheme. The correct position depends on the activity, so obtain appropriate advice before launching rather than treating this article as a complete compliance manual.
Define the client relationship
Write down who instructs you and what you undertake to deliver. Is the service an introduction, research, negotiation support or something else? Identify where it stops and which checks remain for the buyer’s solicitor, surveyor or finance adviser.
Make fees and payment triggers understandable. Explain what happens if a proposed purchase does not proceed, if information changes or if the client raises a complaint. Disclose relevant commercial relationships so the client can understand whose interests are involved.
Build an evidence file
For each opportunity, distinguish confirmed facts from estimates and assumptions. Record where price comparisons, rent estimates and cost allowances came from and when they were checked. A spreadsheet showing a projected return is not proof that a return will be achieved.
Avoid suggesting that a property is risk-free or that a seller’s stated figure has been independently verified when it has not. Make unresolved questions visible before a client is asked to commit money.
Plan the business realistically
Prepare a budget for operating costs, professional support and the time needed to complete work. Do not base the launch on an assumed volume of immediate completions. Check your marketing, information handling and complaints arrangements with suitable advisers.
This guide replaces an archive FAQ that made broad claims about qualifications and profitability. It offers a starting framework for a properly defined service, not a promise of earnings or confirmation that an individual business is compliant.
Sources: HMRC AMLG2200 estate-agency guidance; GOV.UK money-laundering supervision registration and property-agent redress guidance, checked 4 November 2026.