Estate agents in most major UK cities have seen the value of their typical fee per property sale rise over the past year, despite a more subdued housing market, new research from GetAgent shows.
The analysis looked at average house prices across 15 major UK cities and the average estate agency fee (exc. VAT) to calculate changes in the monetary value of fees earned per transaction. While the percentage fee charged by agents has largely stayed the same, rising house prices in most cities have pushed up the actual fees earned.
Across Great Britain, the average fee per property sale increased from £3,822 in Q4 2024 to £3,909 in Q4 2025, a rise of £86.
Among the cities analysed, Liverpool saw the largest increase, with the average fee per sale jumping £210 to £2,585. Manchester and Bradford also recorded notable rises of £136 and £129 respectively. In Scotland, Edinburgh and Glasgow saw average fees increase by £139 and £108, while Newcastle’s average fee rose by £100 per sale.
Other cities experienced smaller uplifts: Leeds (£104), Sheffield (£38), Cardiff (£60) and Nottingham (£27).
Conversely, in cities where house prices fell slightly, the typical fee per sale dropped. London saw the largest decline, with average fees falling £129 to £9,378. Brighton and Birmingham recorded modest reductions of £34 and £4 respectively.
The research highlights that, even in a cooling housing market, rising property prices in many areas are helping agents maintain or grow earnings per sale.
The co-founder and CEO of GetAgent, Colby Short, said: “Despite the more measured market landscape over the past year, agents across many of the UK’s major cities are still seeing the value of the typical fee earned per transaction increase as property values continue to edge up.
“More importantly, it underlines the role that strong agent performance plays in getting deals over the line when conditions are more challenging and buyer uncertainty and hesitancy is rife.
“Those agents who have continued to secure sales have demonstrated the value they bring to the transaction, navigating challenging market conditions and guiding deals over the line.”