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Looking to sell your property fast but not sure who to trust? Complete our contact form
Critical Analysis:
When you’re selling your property, it’s of vital importance to know who you’re working with.
In here, you’ll find everything you need to know about Allsop Auctions and whether you should trust them to sell your property quickly.
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Auction houses such as Allsop Auctions offer a quick and easy way to sell your property. This sits somewhere between selling at full price with an estate agent, which can take six months or more, and selling to a fast cash buyer, which will be quicker than an auction sale, but may get you a lower price.
Auctions will charge commission, plus you will also have to pay legal fees for the preparation of documents both prior to the listing and following the sale. There is no commission or legal fees to pay on a quick cash home sale.
Auctions can generate a higher selling price for your property if there is competitive interest, however there are no guarantees. You may not sell at all if there is no bid matching your reserve price and you may have to withdraw your property or postpone the sale. This can delay your sale until the next auction or beyond. A cash home buyer may not give you as much as you could get at an auction, but your sale will be swift and guaranteed.
Company
Established in
1906
Members of RICS
Not stated
Members of Propertymark
Not stated
Trading standards approved?
Not stated
Members of TPO
Yes
Registered with ICO
Yes
How often are auctions held
Monthly commercial and residential auctions
Online auctions
Yes
Fees
2% + VAT £500 + VAT upfront listing fee
Complaints procedure
None shown
Customer service
4 / 5
Google rating
4.2 / 5 (91 reviews)
Trustpilot rating
3.1 / 5 (22 reviews)
Allsop auctions is the UK’s leading property auction house offering a wide range of commercial, residential and mixed-use properties across the UK. They hold separate commercial and residential sale once a month, all of which are held online, with some live-streamed. They claim to be the largest and most successful auction house in the country.
4.6 / 5
(source: Companies House)
Allsop Auctions is a long-established auction house that is amongst the largest and best known in the business. They are based in London and Leeds and handle residential and commercial property across the UK and beyond.
They are significantly larger than many other UK property auction houses, with their most recent monthly auctions including 104 commercial lots and 332 residential lots. They describe themselves as open, friendly and honest providing a reassuringly constant source of intelligent market knowledge, insight, and expertise with a real desire to make a lasting difference.
Although they have a similar name, there is no connection with TV property presenter Kirsty Allsopp, whose father was chairman of Christies auction house.
Allsop Auctions hold monthly auctions dedicated to either residential or commercial properties. They make it easy to access their auctions, with all sales held online, either as an online only auction or as a live streamed event where bidders can also take part by phone or via a proxy bid placed with the auctioneer.
Their sales success rate appears to be high, supporting their claim to be the most successful in the UK. Their most recent sales at the time of writing, held in July 2024 sold 69 of 104 commercial lots, at a rate of 66%, and 249 of 332 lots at 75%. Properties for auction are listed on Rightmove and other property portals prior to the sale.
With almost 120 years of experience, Allsop Auctions have the knowledge and expertise that you need. Better still, this is provided in a clear and accessible way on their website. Potential sellers and buyers can read simple auction guides and watch videos to get them up to speed and there are FAQ sections that cover many common queries.
Allsop Auctions also has an App to make searching for a property easier, with downloads of the current catalogue and various legal documents available on or offline. They also provide podcasts and an online magazine – ALL – which further demystify the auction process and provide up to date news and market trends.
However, while their website and auction operations are excellent and very customer friendly, it is disappointing to see that this is not reflected in their review scores. They rate just 4.2 on Google and 3.1 on Trustpilot with 82% one-star reviews, so potential sellers are urged to proceed with caution.
Allsop website does not show the logo for Propertymark or any of the organisations, such as the National Association of Valuers and Auctioneers (NAVA) that make up the Propertymark brand. However, the wider Allsop group is a member of both NAEA and ARLA, so it is likely that the auction side of the business is similarly affiliated. However, this cannot be verified.
By using a Propertymark Protected member you are guaranteed to be consulting with a professional who will give you up-to-date advice and guidance. Propertymark regulates members’ activity according to a code of conduct and rules, with disciplinary action for instances of non-compliance.
NAVA Propertymark members adopt RICS’ Common Auctions Conditions for auctions of real estate in England and Wales. These are designed to set a consistent practice for auctions across the industry.
As far as we can tell, Allsop Auctions are not members of the Property Ombudsman and as such are not obliged to work to their strict code of practice. They do not carry the logo on their website and do not come up on a search of the TPO website.
TPO is a government-approved trade body that protects property sellers. Membership of TPO means that customers have an additional method of resolving complaints and grievances that cannot be resolved between the existing parties. TPO offers independent adjudication on disputes via a complaints enquiry telephone number 01722 333306 or by completing a form online on the TOP website.
Once again, the Allsop Auctions website does not show the RICS logo and they do not appear on a search of the RICS site. This could mean that they are not regulated by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
Using a RICS member gives you the peace of mind that your auctioneer follows the Common Auction Conditions and ensures that clients are provided with terms of engagement that are fair and clear and meet all legal requirements and relevant codes of practice including reference to complaints-handling procedures and, where it exists, an appropriate redress scheme.
Allsop Auctions do not appear to be registered with the Information Commissioners’ Office.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the UK’s independent regulatory body set up to uphold information rights. The ICO also governs all forms of data collection and advertising intelligence. The ICO has a Free Online Checker where you can verify whether a company is registered with them or not.
The Allsop Auctions website has a privacy policy which explains how your data will be collected, stored and used by members of the Allsop group. These suggest that the company is GDPR compliant and will follow established codes of practice.
This policy states that ‘we may use your Identity, Contact, Technical, Usage and Profile Data to form a view on what we think you may want or need, or what may be of interest to you. This is how we decide which products, services and offers may be relevant for you. This means that you will receive advertising and marketing messages unless you specifically opt not to. Third party advertising will only be sent if you opt in.
Users are advised to be very careful about what information they disclose and what cookie policies they agree to. You should always have a choice, and you should read any cookie / data use agreements carefully rather than just clicking yes to clear your screen.
Allsop Auctions have been trading since 1906, and they have established themselves as a known and trusted organisation within the property and auctions sector.
We use the ‘over/under 5 years trading time’ as a rule of thumb to gauge whether a company is an established entity with a lot of experience under their belt, or just a newly founded business that may not have the expertise or reputation you can rely on. Allsop Auctions have far exceeded this benchmark and you should have no concerns about the legitimacy or the future viability of the company.
Allsop Auctions hold property sales online every month, with separate sales for residential and commercial properties. Their residential sales usually contain between 200 and 350 lots, with the commercial sales averaging around 100 lots.
Auctions are held in two ways – either purely online, where bidders place their bids on a webpage within a set timescale, or as live streamed sales. Live streamed sales are more like an in-person auction, in which an auctioneer takes bids online, by telephone or pre-arranged proxy bids.
To place a bid, you need to have registered in advance and provide compulsory information such as proof of identity and your source of funds, in order to comply with money laundering regulations.
While auctions are held online, they are still traditional auctions, with bidders placing bids competitively until the virtual hammer comes down. As soon as the hammer falls the sale is binding and contracts are exchanged. The buyer must pay a 10% deposit there and then, and they must complete the sale within 28 days.
Allsop Auctions do not list their charges online, however sources elsewhere online suggest that they charge a seller’s fee of 2% + VAT. This is slightly below the industry average of 2.5%. Sellers also have to pay a non-refundable deposit of £500+VAT in order to enter an auction. This covers the company’s costs and will not be returned if the property is withdrawn or goes unsold. This is about average for the sector.
Naturally, the fees will vary depending on a number of factors, including the type of property, the property value etc. Prospective sellers are advised to contact the auction house directly for an up to date quote on your property or properties.
Allsop Auctions claim to be the UK’s most successful auction house, and our research shows that their residential auctions deliver a selling rate of around 75%. This, combined with their monthly auctions, means that you should be able to sell your property with Allsops in around 8weeks at most.
One of the benefits of selling at auction is that once the deal is done, there is no risk of the sale falling through, as there is with a sale through an estate agent. As soon as the hammer falls the sale final and legally binding contracts are exchanged.
This process provides you with a very fast and certain sale, which will not be affected by surveys, cold feet or the countless other issues that mean as many as one in three estate agent sales fail. However, the tight, four-week completion timescale may not leave enough time for potential buyers to arrange a mortgage, and so this will limit potential buyers to developers, investors and cash buyers.
Of course, even with a firm as successful as Allsop Auctions, as many as one in four homes will not sell for the required price. This means that you will have to wait a further month for the next sale, where once again there will be no guarantee that you will find a buyer.
Here is where a quick cash sale could be a better option, as your sale is guaranteed in as little as seven days.
We didn’t find anything that raises suspicion during our thorough research of Allsop Auctions. Our investigators sifted through all of the data and legal records of Allsop Auctions and everything was clean.
However, we’ll redact this paragraph at the first glimpse of dodgy practices.
We never stop researching and our unbending commitment to excellence doesn’t waver. This paragraph is only valid up until the ‘Last Updated’ date of this review, which can be found at the top of this page.
As far as we are aware, Allsop haven’t received any additional awards or prizes.
There’s nothing more we could add.
To assess the overall user experience (UX) of allsop.co.uk we first analysed their website for ease of use and intuitiveness.
The Allsop Auctions website is part of the larger Allsop site, which also covers investment and development, office leasing and professional management services.
Clicking on the auctions tab reveals a wide range of auction information, including guides, newsletters, podcats and FAQ sections, along with listings for their next residential and commercial auctions.
The site also gives access to the results of previous auctions, so prospective sellers can see their success rate for themselves and get an idea of property values in their area.
The site has a click through contact button and a button to download the Allsops app. Users are also able to subscribe to get the latest insights and updates sent direct to their inbox.
We calculated their First Response Time (FTR) by messaging them at approximately 3 PM on a non-holiday weekday (on a Thursday to be exact) and used a stopwatch to estimate how long it took them to respond.
Allsop Auctions responded in 1 minute 12 seconds.
Which is much faster than the industry average. And a fast FRT is something we consider highly important, especially in this sector.
A faster response time suggests that the auction house is better equipped to deal with customer queries.
And if they’re better equipped to deal with customer queries, then it means they’re investing their resources where it matters the most.
We also asked if they offer some sort of ‘Client Satisfaction Guarantee’, and if yes, what would that guarantee consist of.
Allsop Auctions don’t offer a formal Client Satisfaction Guarantee. However, since they have been in business for almost 120 years and have grown to be the ‘UK’s leading auction house’, one can assume that they must be taking care of their customers.
Most reputable companies will have a formal complaints procedure on their website, where clients can express any disagreements, issues or just plain dissatisfaction with the overall service. By having such a procedure in place, the company shows that they are willing to listen and if possible, rectify any problems that may arise.
You can find the Allsop Auctions’ complaints procedure by clicking through from the ‘policies’ link at the foot of their web pages. This policy tells you who to contact in the first instance – Lesley.connor@allsop.co.uk – and the senior partner you should contact should your complaint still be unresolved to your satisfaction – scott.tyler@allsop.co.uk.
The complaints policy makes no mention of the Property Ombudsman, and it is not clear how you should escalate your complaint if it remains unresolved internally. This is unusual for such a large auction firm.
A legitimate auction house that does what it promises shouldn’t have a problem letting you speak to their past customers.
Of course they need to have the permission of the individual involved and provide some kind of proof that it is a genuine past client of theirs.
We strongly encourage all our readers to ask to speak to a past client.
In this section, we’ll discuss what the public thinks of Allsop and what online reviews the company has received.
Keep in mind that online reviews can be easily faked. The company in charge might hire fake review writers to write positive reviews. Or on the other hand, their competitors might hire fake review writers to write negative reviews and tarnish the said company’s reputation.
Also, social media followers can be artificially inflated.
That’s why we deem this section as purely anecdotal.
These ratings are surprising and somewhat disappointing, given the promises of size and service contained on their website. 82% of their Trustpilot reviews are just one star, however the remaining 18% are all five star (though it should be noted that some of these negative reviews are for the property management side of Allsop).
We didn’t find anything suspicious with Allsop Auctions’ social media or online presence, nor with their customer reviews.
We also didn’t find anything suspicious with their domain rating and backlink profile nor their unique monthly search traffic.
We didn’t find anything suspicious with Allsop Auctions’ social media or online presence, nor with their customer reviews.
We also didn’t find anything suspicious with their domain rating and backlink profile nor their unique monthly search traffic.
Network Auctions offers a traditional auction service, with auctions held online every six weeks or so. These national auctions are backed up by partnerships with a network of estate agents who assess properties and promote them to the local market.
This gives sellers the best of both worlds, with access to both interested local buyers and a nationwide reach of property investors.
The Network Auctions team has over 120 years of combined industry experience between them and can offer expert advice.
Network Auctions are members of the NAVA, RICS and TPO, and they are registered with the ICO. They have a clear complaints procedure and are regulated by RICS and NAVA Propertymark. Unresolved complaints may be escalated to The Property Ombudsman.
They have an informative website with useful articles and guides to help buyers and sellers who are new to property auctions.
In summary, Network Auctions offer a national service, delivered online. This significantly increases their reach over a local auction house, but it may compromise their level of service and local knowledge.
We will be continuously updating this review as we do with all of our other content. If Network Auctions decide to alter, amend or modify something, then we’ll make sure to adjust our critique and score accordingly.Allsop Auctions is a large and effective auction house with an excellent track record and a high sales percentage. They have a very friendly, customer-centric website and make their auctions easy to access through their app and online auction pages.
As one of the largest auction houses in the UK, they can provide extensive expertise and over a century of experience. However, some sellers may prefer to find a local auction house, that provides a personal touch, rather than deal with a national firm based in London.
On balance, their approach appears to be professional, yet approachable, offering lots of help for prospective buyers and sellers and making sure all their customers are well informed about the auction process in general, as well as specific property auctions.
However, their relatively poor feedback, and independent reviews, are something of a concern, with their Trustpilot reviews making particularly difficult reading. Potential customers need to weigh both the positives and the negatives before choosing Allsop Auctions to represent their property.
We will be continuously updating this review as we do with all of our other content. If Allsop Auctions decide to alter, amend or modify something, then we’ll make sure to adjust our critique and score accordingly.
We’ve independently investigated all the UK’s top fast home buyers with our cast-iron 18 point checklist.
And by using the free Safe Connect™ programme we’ll introduce you to our most recommended & strictly vetted home buyer.
The Safe Connect™ programme was created to ensure you not only get the best possible, genuine cash offer, but also to protect you in this unregulated market.
If you click the orange button below, we’ll automatically Safe Connect you to the best property buyer in the UK – as vetted by our team of investigators. And most importantly, you’ll see exactly why we objectively classified them as the best property buyer in the UK.
If you use the Safe Connect™ programme to connect with a cash home buyer, we’ll personally hold them accountable. We’ll ensure they go the extra mile and treat you like a VIP.
The Safe Connect™ programme is a free service. There are no additional fees or costs on your end.
Safe Connect™ ensures there will be no last-minute price drops and no nasty surprises. It’s quick, easy and it eliminates all headaches.
Our strictly vetted partner will know that you’re coming through Property Sale Watchdog and they won’t dare to mess you around.
Allsop Auctions is just one of the many fast home-buying companies in the UK.
In order to make sure you choose the right one, it’s best if you compare them all.
Look at their strengths & weaknesses, their pros & cons and make an informed decision.
It’s essential to know you’re in safe hands, that’s why we’re here to help.
Use our company comparison table to find a reliable and trustworthy service, and decide whether expediting the sale of your property is the right thing for you.
This review is being constantly screened by our investigator team and will be corrected in line with the emergence of new evidence.
If a company contacts us with a genuine and verifiable piece of information which supports their cause, then we’ll immediately redact the review and point to the new information.
On the other hand, if we discover that a company which we’ve previously praised for a certain industry trait, starts to dabble in dodgy practices, we’ll also redact the review immediately.
We’ll point to our new findings and we’ll adjust the table metrics and scores accordingly.
For this reason, make sure to take notice of the ‘last updated’ date at the top of this page.
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