Claim OwnershipThe Voice of the Agent Podcast
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Voice of the Agent is the property podcast that swaps guesswork for grounded insight, and still manages to have a laugh along the way.
Hosted by Toby Martin and Simon Leadbetter of We Are Unchained, each episode is built around one simple idea: if you want to understand what’s really happening in the UK property industry, don’t rely on hot takes and LinkedIn noise - ask the people doing the job, and test it against real consumer and market data.
You’ll hear a mix of expert interviews with big brains from data, marketing, tech and beyond (including guests from organisations like YouGov and Experian), breakdowns of the latest Voice of the Agent reports (our free, statistically significant surveys of agents and consumers), and live sessions from the Voice of the Agent Conference - where agents, conveyancers and industry leaders get in the same room and talk honestly about what’s working, what’s broken, and what needs to change.
Expect practical takeaways, sharp observations, the occasional rant, and the kind of conversations that help you run a better business: clearer marketing, smarter use of AI, stronger customer experience, more resilient growth, and a more realistic view of what buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants actually think.
New episodes land regularly across Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. If you work in property - or you simply want to understand where the market is heading - you’re in the right place.
Hosted by Toby Martin and Simon Leadbetter of We Are Unchained, each episode is built around one simple idea: if you want to understand what’s really happening in the UK property industry, don’t rely on hot takes and LinkedIn noise - ask the people doing the job, and test it against real consumer and market data.
You’ll hear a mix of expert interviews with big brains from data, marketing, tech and beyond (including guests from organisations like YouGov and Experian), breakdowns of the latest Voice of the Agent reports (our free, statistically significant surveys of agents and consumers), and live sessions from the Voice of the Agent Conference - where agents, conveyancers and industry leaders get in the same room and talk honestly about what’s working, what’s broken, and what needs to change.
Expect practical takeaways, sharp observations, the occasional rant, and the kind of conversations that help you run a better business: clearer marketing, smarter use of AI, stronger customer experience, more resilient growth, and a more realistic view of what buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants actually think.
New episodes land regularly across Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. If you work in property - or you simply want to understand where the market is heading - you’re in the right place.
26 Episodes
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In this episode of The Voice of the Agent Podcast, Simon Leadbetter is joined by Kristjan Byfield, co-founder of The Depositary, for a conversation about one of the least loved, but most important, parts of the lettings process.End of tenancy.The discussion explores why deposit disputes so often become emotional, where agents add value, and why so much of the process still creates unnecessary friction for landlords, tenants and property managers alike.They examine the gap between law, contract and evidence, the role of inventories and checkout reports, and how better systems can reduce workload while improving fairness. The conversation also looks ahead to what agentic AI could mean for tenants, complaints, and the future of dispute handling.Not more complexity.Better process.A sharp and practical episode for anyone involved in lettings, property management, or the systems that sit behind the rental experience.
In this episode of The Voice of the Agent Podcast, Simon Leadbetter is joined by Graham Paterson, CEO and co-founder of Jitty, for a conversation about the growing role of AI in property search.Not as theory. As behaviour.The discussion explores how AI is changing the way buyers search, what makes Jitty different from a traditional portal, and why the future of discovery may look very different from the model the industry has relied on for years.They look at habit, adoption, information asymmetry, and the likely shift from fixed search filters to guided discovery. Along the way, they ask a bigger question: if AI becomes the starting point for search, what happens to portals, agents, and the structure of the market itself?A practical conversation about technology, timing, and what the next phase of property search may actually look like.
In this episode of The Voice of the Agent Podcast, Simon Leadbetter is joined by David Opie, owner of Today’s Media and editor of Today’s Conveyancer, for a practical conversation about one of the property industry’s most persistent problems.The home moving process.The discussion explores why the relationship between agents and conveyancers so often feels strained, where delays really come from, and why the system still starts too late for everyone involved.They look at the role of communication, referral fees, staffing pressures, technology, lender influence, and the growing case for instructing solicitors at the point of listing.Not blame. Better process.Grounded in industry research and real experience, this is a clear-eyed discussion about what needs to change, what already is changing, and how the sector moves forward from here.
In this episode of The Voice of the Agent Podcast, Simon Leadbetter is joined by Chris Harmer of The ESTAS Group in conversation to explore a topic often talked about but rarely understood properly: customer service.The discussion moves beyond the idea of “good service” during smooth transactions and focuses on the moments that actually define it — when things go wrong.They unpack why negative feedback is not something to fear, but something to use. From turning complaints into opportunities, to understanding the real impact of how issues are handled, the conversation highlights a simple truth: service is proven under pressure.The episode also explores:⭐ Why complaints are often more valuable than compliments🔁 How to turn unhappy clients into long-term advocates📣 The amplified risk of poor service in a social media world🧠 Why most businesses collect feedback but fail to act on it⚙️ What high-performing companies do differently when things go wrongDrawing on real-world examples, including how major brands handle negative reviews, this is a practical and honest conversation about what service actually looks like in practice.For agents and business owners alike, it is a reminder that reputation is not built when everything works — but when it doesn’t.A must-listen for anyone serious about delivering service that lasts.
What does a good lettings business look like in 2026?
In this episode of The Voice of the Agent Podcast, Toby Martin is joined by Sophie Lang, co-owner of multi-award-winning Lang Llewellyn & Co, to go deep on the realities of running — and growing — a lettings business in the year ahead.
Using fresh insight from the January Voice of the Agent report, the conversation explores why landlord numbers are proving more resilient than headlines suggest, how agents are turning the Renters’ Rights Act into a growth opportunity, and why education — not fear — is the key to winning new instructions.
Sophie shares practical, hard-earned experience on converting self-managing landlords, managing expectations around rents, and why many landlords exiting the market are being replaced by a more professional, business-minded generation.
The episode also tackles some of the industry’s most uncomfortable questions:
🏠 Is 10% really enough for full management?
📉 Why let-only services may be living on borrowed time
📈 How acquisitions can outperform organic growth
🧠 What makes a lettings book genuinely valuable
⚖️ And how to future-proof your business without panic
This is a candid, experience-led discussion for lettings professionals who want clarity, not chaos — and a reminder that while 2026 will bring change, it also brings opportunity for agents who are prepared.
📊 Download the full January Voice of the Agent report here: https://www.weareunchained.co.uk/thevoiceoftheagent
Estate agents don’t need more tech, they need less friction.
In this episode, Simon is joined by Victoria Lambden, Business Development Lead at GlueDog (and a former estate agent who’s lived the spreadsheet-and-duplicate-data nightmare). Together they unpack why so many agencies keep adding tools… yet don’t see the output improve, and how the real unlock is integration.
You’ll hear Victoria’s “traffic light” way of spotting bottlenecks, why integration is finally shifting from “nice-to-have” to non-negotiable, and what proptech should feel like when it’s working properly: it disappears into the background.
They also get into:
✅ PropTech overload (and how to audit your stack without losing the plot)
✅ Why teams use less than 50% of their CRM
✅ Training, adoption, morale, and the human side of tech change
✅ AI in agency: brilliant assistant, terrible replacement agent
If you’re still typing the same address 16 times into 4 systems, this is a must listen.
What’s actually happening in the property market — and how do agents really feel about 2026?
In this episode of The Voice of the Agent, Toby Martin and Simon Leadbetter unpack the January 2026 Voice of the Agent report, focusing on residential sales and lettings, and cutting through the noise to reveal what the data really says.
They explore agent confidence, transaction levels, fees, competition, and growth expectations — and why the market feels cautious on the surface, yet quietly optimistic underneath. You’ll hear why many agents grew in 2025 despite negative headlines, what the data reveals about house prices and rental values in 2026, and where the biggest opportunities (and risks) lie for agency owners right now.
The conversation also digs into the structural realities of estate agency:
🏠 Why sales-only businesses remain exposed
🔁 Why lettings still underpin long-term business value
💰 How fees really work across price brackets
⚔️ Just how competitive most local markets actually are
📈 And why finding new vendors and landlords remains the industry’s biggest challenge
This episode is less about predictions, and more about perspective. If you want to understand where you sit relative to your peers, and how to use insight rather than instinct to guide decisions in 2026, this one’s essential listening.
📊 The full report is available free on the Unchained website
📩 Subscribe to the newsletter to receive future reports early
What if you could understand who lives in a property before you even walk through the front door?
In this special episode of the Voice of the Agent Podcast, we share a standout clip recorded live at the Voice of the Agent Conference at Bletchley Park, featuring Ben Nicholas, Head of Property and Real Estate at Experian, in conversation with Simon Leadbetter.
Ben reveals how Experian Mosaic uses household-level data to build a far deeper picture of the people behind the properties — from lifestyle and behaviour, to communication preferences and likely next moves. In one jaw-dropping moment, Ben describes how Mosaic accurately predicted his own age, family setup, home type, and shopping habits… just from his address.
The conversation explores why property has lagged behind other industries in adopting this kind of customer insight, how agents can move from property-led to people-led marketing, and why understanding your audience makes everything you do more relevant, more efficient, and more effective.
After the clip, Toby returns to explain how Unchained has partnered with Experian to make this level of insight accessible to estate and letting agents — without the traditional corporate-level price tag — and how combining customer insight with AI can supercharge your marketing.
The Voice of the Agent, full live videos: https://www.weareunchained.co.uk/tvota-2025-video
Unchained CustomerDNA Reports: https://www.weareunchained.co.uk/unchained-customer-dna
Estate agency is a trust business… and whether we like it or not, trust often gets decided before you’ve even said hello.
In this episode, Simon Leadbetter is joined by Alex Wood of Alexandra Wood Bespoke — the first female Savile Row tailor and a “menswear visionary” who’s built a modern luxury brand in a world of tradition, hierarchy, and (let’s be honest) a lot of blokes.
They get into:
🧠 Why first impressions still matter in 2026 (even if you hate shopping)
🧥 How to look credible, modern and human — without trying too hard
👔 Suits vs hoodies, ties vs open collars… and the real crime: the badly fitting suit
🧳 Capsule wardrobes, decision fatigue, and why “quality costs less” over time
🎯 Dressing authentically: finding “you” rather than copying a trend
🌟 Plus: who Alex would most love to tailor for (hello Idris 👀)
📚 Pre-order Alex’s book at alexandrawoodbespoke.co.uk
And don’t forget to subscribe to Voice of the Agent on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts for more data-led insights, guest experts, and conference highlights.
Why does buying or selling a home still feel harder than it should? And if conveyancing causes so many delays, why don’t we just… remove it from the equation?
In this episode of the Voice of the Agent podcast, we drop you straight into one of the most talked-about moments from the Voice of the Agent Conference at Bletchley Park. It’s a live panel debate exploring the relationship between estate agents and conveyancers, what’s broken in the home-moving process, and what “best practice” actually looks like when everyone’s under pressure.
Hosted by David Opie, the panel brings together Clare Yates, Matt Baldock and Simon Thomas, representing frontline agency, legal expertise and customer experience. Things really heat up when Russell Quirk throws a hand grenade of a question into the room: if other countries can complete transactions in weeks, why are we still stuck with a system that takes six months — and should estate agents just do the whole job themselves?
After the clip, Toby Martin unpacks what you’ve just heard and connects it to the hard data from Part Four of the Voice of the Agent Report, revealing how long transactions really take, where communication breaks down, who consumers blame when things go wrong, and what the minority of smooth-moving chains are doing differently.
If you’re an agent, a conveyancer, a lender, or someone currently stuck in a chain wondering why nothing has moved for weeks, this episode will feel uncomfortably familiar — and genuinely useful.
You can download the Voice of the Agent Reports for free at https://www.weareunchained.co.uk/thevoiceoftheagent
Stop what you are doing and complete the survey for January's Voice of the Agent Report: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TVOTAJan2026
The survey is only open for a short time, so don't delay - complete it today!
What if you could see around corners and spot shifts in consumer behaviour years before they show up in your pipeline?
In this episode of Voice of the Agent, Simon is joined by Will Ullstein, UK CEO of YouGov, to unpack what their data is really telling us about Gen Z, tomorrow’s consumer, and what that means for the property industry. They discuss why your own customer data will only ever tell part of the story, how nationally representative research fills in the gaps, and the very real strategic risk of running your business purely on gut feel and portal dashboards.
Will explains how YouGov’s panel works (including why people happily share Netflix viewing and bank data), how even a single omnibus question can unlock a full 360° picture of your ideal customer, and why research is no longer just for big brands with six-figure budgets. They also dive into AI: from using it to analyse open-ended responses in seconds, to YouGov’s new AI interviewer and data-driven personas that let you “talk” to your target audience before you spend a penny on campaigns.
Simon and Will also tease a new collaboration designed to give independent estate and letting agents access to serious YouGov and Experian firepower at an entry-level price – plus there’s time for pillow-fight stats, beans on toast, and the surprisingly wobbly career path from failed actor to CEO.
If you care about where the market is heading, how Gen Z will reshape expectations, and how to make better decisions with proper evidence rather than hunches, this conversation is a must-listen. Follow the podcast, hit play, and if you enjoy it, leave a review so more agents can find the show.
It’s Christmas Eve, and instead of diving into Voice of the Agent data, Toby Martin and Simon Leadbetter are taking a festive detour into the numbers behind the Great British Christmas. Expect the big debates (Father Christmas vs Santa, and yes… Die Hard), the nation’s favourite film and song, what’s really happening on Christmas dinner plates, and the surprising truth about family arguments.
Along the way, Simon gets gently interrogated about the Leadbetter household traditions, Toby tries to keep things vaguely on-brand (with mixed results), and together they attempt to define what a “statistically perfect” Christmas actually looks like. Merry Christmas - may your sprouts be optional and your data be judgemental.
Some links referred to in this episode...
🎸 The Story of Fairy Tale of New York: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUSNzqqLFT0
🐈 Mog's Christmas Calamity (Sainsbury's ad): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuRn2S7iPNU
🪖 1914 (Sainsbury's ad): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWF2JBb1bvM
In this special end-of-year episode of The Voice of the Agent Podcast, Toby Martin and Simon Leadbetter reflect on a transformative year in the property industry. They discuss the key findings from the recently released Part 5 of the Voice of the Agent report, which encapsulates insights from our inaugural conference at Bletchley Park and surveys agent sentiments heading into 2026. With discussions ranging from economic challenges and marketing strategies to the impact of AI on estate agency, Simon and Toby unpack the evolving landscape and what it means for agents.
Join Simon and Toby, as they share valuable takeaways and look forward to the exciting changes ahead in our monthly reporting format!
You can download the Voice of the Agent Report for free from https://www.weareunchained.co.uk/thevoiceoftheagent
In this special edition of the Voice of the Agent podcast, we’re taking you inside the room at the Voice of the Agent Conference for a live keynote from one of the UK’s leading property experts: Kate Faulkner OBE.
If there were a National Curriculum for estate agency, this talk would be on page one.
Kate brings the kind of clarity, passion and data-backed insight that cuts straight through the headlines and tells the real story of the UK housing market — how we got here, what we’ve misunderstood, and what absolutely has to change.
In this episode, Toby introduces a powerful five-minute clip from Kate’s keynote, recorded at Bletchley Park just weeks after she returned to the stage following knee surgery — with all the energy to prove it.
You’ll hear a section of Kate’s talk that had agents in the room leaning forward and furiously taking notes. And if you want the full 30-minute keynote, along with every session from the conference, you can now watch the complete on-demand film at weareunchained.co.uk.
Coming up in this new conference-series format:
Heather Staff, Will Ullstein (YouGov), Phill Agnew (Nudge podcast), The Prime Market Panel, and more.
Follow the show to catch the next instalment.
What happens to estate agency when AI stops being a novelty and starts rewriting how people find homes?
In this episode of Voice of the Agent, Simon sits down with Mal McCallion, founder of MyPorta and ModelProp, and a key figure behind PrimeLocation and Zoopla, to explore whether AI-driven property discovery could fundamentally reshape the market — and what that means for Rightmove, for portals, and for agents everywhere.
Mal shares what he learned from helping build the early portals, why the traditional filter-based search model is about to feel as outdated as newspaper property pages, and how AI will allow people to describe their ideal lifestyle rather than tick boxes. He also reflects on the Rightmove Resistance Tour, the surprising human stories he heard from agents across the country, and why he believes the bulk-subscription, pay-to-list model is living on borrowed time.
They dig into MyPorta’s vision for a free-to-list, AI-optimised platform that gives agents control of their leads and data, how consumer behaviour is changing at speed, and why AI literacy is set to become a core skill for every successful agent.
If you're curious about the future of property search, the role AI will play, or how the portal landscape could shift over the next five years, this is a fascinating and timely conversation.
Listen now, hit Follow, and if you enjoy it, leave us a review so more agents can discover the show.
In this episode, Toby Martin breaks down the key insights from Part 4 of The Voice of the Agent 2025 report — how consumers are really finding property, what they think about stamp duty, which brands they trust, and why the agent–conveyancer relationship is becoming the industry’s biggest bottleneck.
We also explore the rise of AI in property search: from under 1% usage today to potential mainstream adoption within the next decade, and what that means for portals, agent websites, and the future of the customer journey.
A fast, data-led look at the trends every estate agent needs to understand in 2025.
Simon Leadbetter of We Are Unchained sits down with Steve Eakins from Lumon following The Voice of the Agents Conference, held on 7 November at Bletchley Park.
In this episode, Simon and Steve dive into the world of foreign exchange rates, currency volatility, and brokerage, unpacking how these financial dynamics directly impact today’s estate agents and agencies.
From international buyers to cross-border transactions, they explore the real risks, the opportunities, and what agents need to know right now.
Whether you're an agent looking to protect your pipeline from FX fluctuations or simply want to understand how currency affects the UK property market, this conversation offers clear, actionable insight.
Chat with Steve Eakins
To speak with Steve directly, click the link below:
👉 https://wa.me/447919230666?text=Just%...
Learn more about Lumon
👉 https://www.lumonpay.com/
Simon Leadbetter sits down with Phill Agnew, Host of Nudge, the UK’s #1 Marketing Podcast, to explore various topics such as ethical marketing, behavioural science, and what it really means to understand your audience.
In this episode, Simon and Phill dive into:
• Ethical marketing and whether we’re truly benefiting the user
• Behavioural psychology and how it shapes buyer decisions
• Contacting buyers before viewings, why timing and context matter
• How to speak to your audience in a way that actually resonates
• The fine line between persuasion and manipulation
It’s a thoughtful, practical conversation for anyone looking to communicate more effectively, market more responsibly, and understand the people they’re trying to reach.
Phill's reading list reference in the podcast:
https://nudge.kit.com/reading-list
🎧 Listen to Phill’s podcast, Nudge:
Apple: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0zpOldE9YMNYN1QiL7EBfS
Nearly two-thirds of an average UK estate agent’s marketing budget disappears into portals and most of them can’t explain why.
In this explosive panel top industry minds call out one of the biggest financial blind spots in the property game. From the myth of social media as strategy to the untapped power of PR, this episode unpacks what real marketing looks like and why agents who get it are pulling ahead.
COVERED TOPICS
Why portals are a utility, not marketing
The shocking 10.4% stat for all non-portal marketing
Why agents still think social media is a strategy
The hidden ROI of PR and why no one’s using it
How high-growth agents spend and win
Why your CFO is killing your pipeline
Brand vs lead gen vs product marketing
Long-term trust vs short-term wins
Zero-based budgeting for smarter marketing decisions
Why listings are only step one
Marketing mistakes that cost agents millions
#EstateAgentMarketing #VoiceOfTheAgent #PRNotPortals #RealEstateMistakes
#MarketingROI #TrustAndBrand #UnchainedThinking #AgentGrowth #UKPropertyIndustry
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