How we choose the firms in each list

Is this really the firm's trade?

We start with what each firm actually does, and the firms whose daily work matches the list come first.

Estate agents: a branch in or near the town that sells homes for their owners, whether independent, a franchise or an agency that also handles lettings. Letting agents that only handle rentals, block management companies, online agents with no local office, commercial-only agents, developers and quick-sale house buyers stay out.

Conveyancing solicitors: solicitors or licensed conveyancers who handle the purchase, sale or remortgage of a home from an office nearby. Firms that only take personal injury, family, immigration or criminal cases are left out, along with will writers and quote websites.

Chartered surveyors: firms that inspect homes for buyers, with home surveys, valuations or snagging inspections. Practices that only do commercial agency, quantity surveying, land surveys or planning work do not qualify.

Removal companies: firms that move household contents with their own vans and crews, including man-and-van firms that take on house moves. Rubbish clearance, couriers, van hire and self-storage on its own are not removals for this purpose.

Reputation that has had time to build

Next comes the reputation each firm has with its clients, in reviews anyone can read for themselves. Most people move only a few times in their lives, so that feedback tends to describe the whole job: how quickly the conveyancer replied, whether the agent kept the chain moving, whether the crew arrived when promised. We balance a firm's standing with the length of its record, so a handful of glowing reviews does not outweigh years of steady work.

What the firm tells you before you call

We also look at each firm's own website and official channels. For an estate agent, that means how it charges, the areas it covers and the redress scheme it belongs to. For a conveyancer, its regulator, who will handle your file and its price for a purchase or sale, which SRA-regulated firms in England and Wales have to publish. For a surveyor, the levels of survey it carries out and whether it is regulated by RICS. For a removal company, how it quotes, what its insurance covers and whether it packs and stores. A firm that sets this out plainly gives you more to go on.

No firm buys its place

Where a firm sits is our own editorial call, made on merit and looked at again regularly. Appearing is free, and nobody can pay to get in or to change the criteria. Firms that have already been selected can add a Pro plan for a more complete profile or a Top spot among the first places of a list, and both always show a label.

Before you instruct a firm

Estate agent: check its redress scheme membership and read the agreement for sole agency, the tie-in period and the notice to end it. Ask whether it receives a referral fee for recommending a conveyancer or mortgage adviser. You do not have to use the firms it suggests.

Conveyancer: check the firm with the SRA or the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, or with the Law Society of Scotland or of Northern Ireland, and get the legal fee and disbursements in writing. In England and Wales, many lenders look for firms accredited under the Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme, so ask about it if you have a mortgage.

Surveyor: check that the firm is regulated by RICS and agree the level of survey before the visit. Level 1 suits a newer home in good condition, Level 2 a conventional house in reasonable repair, and Level 3 an older, larger, altered or unusual property. A lender's valuation is not a survey.

Removal company: ask for a survey of your belongings, in person or by video, before the quote. Check what the insurance covers and what it leaves out, and book once your moving date is fixed.

Spotted something that has changed? Let us know through the contact page.