{ "series": "The Trusted Agent Reputation Report 2026", "publisher": "Kerfuffle", "generated_at": "2026-08-01T00:00:00Z", "chapters": [ { "slug": "unfair-advantage", "chapter": 1, "title": "Why reputation is the last unfair advantage in estate agency", "publish_date": "2026-08-04", "url": "https://thetrustedagent.co.uk/reputation-report/unfair-advantage/", "status": "scheduled", "contributors": [ { "name": "Jones Robinson", "agency": "Jones Robinson", "tier": "Platinum", "url": "https://thetrustedagent.co.uk/winners/newbury/jones-robinson/" }, { "name": "Austin Hawk Estate Agents", "agency": "Austin Hawk Estate Agents", "tier": "Platinum", "url": "https://thetrustedagent.co.uk/winners/andover/austin-hawk/" } ], "faqs": [ { "question": "How often should estate agents reply to Google reviews?", "answer": "Trusted Agent 2026 data shows Platinum-tier offices reply to 84.1% of all reviews on average, against a national average of 47.0% across all 2,017 assessed offices with Google reviews. There is no fixed weekly quota in the data, but the pattern is consistent: the higher the tier, the higher the reply rate. Aim to reply to every review, positive or negative, within a few days rather than batching them monthly." }, { "question": "Does having more reviews actually help an agency win instructions?", "answer": "The data shows a strong correlation rather than a guarantee. Platinum-tier offices average 755 reviews compared with a national average of 117.9 (source: Trusted Agent 2026 hub database, 1 August 2026 snapshot). Review volume on its own is not the full story, since rating and reply rate both move alongside it in the top tiers." }, { "question": "What counts as a good Google rating for an estate agency in 2026?", "answer": "The national average across the Trusted Agent assessed universe is 4.41 out of 5. Trusted Agent-tier offices average 4.78, Gold averages 4.81, and Platinum averages 4.83. Anything materially below 4.4 sits below the national midpoint." }, { "question": "Is Trusted Agent status the same as a paid award scheme?", "answer": "No. Trusted Agent 2026 has no entry fee, no nomination form and no self-submission. Tiers are assigned from independently gathered review data across the assessed national universe of UK estate agent offices, then banded into the top 2% (Platinum), the next tier to the top 5% (Gold), and the next tier to the top 10% (Trusted Agent)." }, { "question": "How many UK estate agent offices actually qualify for Trusted Agent status?", "answer": "2,017 offices currently hold Platinum, Gold or Trusted Agent status: 410 Platinum, 610 Gold and 997 Trusted Agent, out of the full national universe of offices assessed (source: Trusted Agent 2026 hub database, 1 August 2026 snapshot)." }, { "question": "Can a small independent agency compete with the large corporates on reviews?", "answer": "Yes. The Platinum and Gold tiers include a large number of independents and small multi-branch groups alongside national chains. Review count is not weighted by office size in isolation, so a smaller office with a consistent reply habit and strong rating can outrank a much larger office with a slower reply cadence." } ] }, { "slug": "ta-methodology", "chapter": 2, "title": "The TA methodology explained: how the top 10% actually got there", "publish_date": "2026-08-11", "url": "https://thetrustedagent.co.uk/reputation-report/ta-methodology/", "status": "scheduled", "contributors": [], "faqs": [] }, { "slug": "review-cadence", "chapter": 3, "title": "Review cadence: the metric your CRM never showed you", "publish_date": "2026-08-18", "url": "https://thetrustedagent.co.uk/reputation-report/review-cadence/", "status": "scheduled", "contributors": [], "faqs": [] }, { "slug": "regional-benchmarks", "chapter": 4, "title": "Regional averages and where you actually sit", "publish_date": "2026-08-25", "url": "https://thetrustedagent.co.uk/reputation-report/regional-benchmarks/", "status": "scheduled", "contributors": [ { "name": "Frost's Estate Agents", "agency": "Frost's Estate Agents", "tier": "Platinum", "url": "https://thetrustedagent.co.uk/winners/st-albans/frosts/" }, { "name": "JW Wood", "agency": "JW Wood", "tier": "Platinum", "url": "https://thetrustedagent.co.uk/winners/durham/jw-wood/" }, { "name": "Martin & Co Aberdeen", "agency": "Martin & Co Aberdeen", "tier": "Platinum", "url": "https://thetrustedagent.co.uk/winners/aberdeen/martin-co-aberdeen/" } ], "faqs": [] }, { "slug": "reply-gap", "chapter": 5, "title": "The reply gap: what unreplied reviews cost you", "publish_date": "2026-09-01", "url": "https://thetrustedagent.co.uk/reputation-report/reply-gap/", "status": "scheduled", "contributors": [ { "name": "Butters John Bee", "agency": "Butters John Bee", "tier": "Platinum", "url": "https://thetrustedagent.co.uk/winners/crewe/butters-john-bee/" } ], "faqs": [] }, { "slug": "fee-defence", "chapter": 6, "title": "Fee defence: how a strong review profile pays for itself", "publish_date": "2026-09-08", "url": "https://thetrustedagent.co.uk/reputation-report/fee-defence/", "status": "scheduled", "contributors": [], "faqs": [] }, { "slug": "ai-hand-in-glove", "chapter": 7, "title": "Tech and people working hand-in-glove with AI", "publish_date": "2026-09-15", "url": "https://thetrustedagent.co.uk/reputation-report/ai-hand-in-glove/", "status": "scheduled", "contributors": [], "faqs": [] }, { "slug": "12-month-projection", "chapter": 8, "title": "Your 12-month reputation projection", "publish_date": "2026-09-22", "url": "https://thetrustedagent.co.uk/reputation-report/12-month-projection/", "status": "scheduled", "contributors": [], "faqs": [] } ] }