West Yorkshire awards win for agency

An estate agency in Wakefield has been crowned the city’s best in the British Property Awards. The sales and lettings service offered by the team at Linley & Simpson’s Northgate branch in Wakefield scored highest when judged against 25 different criteria by a team of mystery shoppers. The independent agency – celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, went on to represent Wakefield in the regional finals for West and South Yorkshire, finishing in overall third place. Branch manager Emma Hodgson said: “There is no shortage of excellent agents in Wakefield, so to scoop this award reflects a tremendous team achievement. “Linley & Simpson has a strong focus on customer service which is at the heart of everything we do. The awards were an ideal opportunity to put our approach to the sternest scrutiny from independent mystery shoppers over a period of months." The BPA’s Robert McLean said: “Where an agent has been attributed with one of our awards, it is simply down to the fantastic customer service levels that have been demonstrated across a prolonged period of time. “Agents who go that extra mile, and have outstanding levels of customer service, are rewarded with our accolade. It acts as a beacon to highlight these attributes to their local marketplace. “We judge agents on a town by town basis, ensuring that only those agents who meet a certain standard are awarded by our team. Should all agents within a given town fail to meet this, we make no award.” “A recent poll suggested that just 25 per cent of consumers trust estate agents, making it the second least trusted profession. We passionately believe that agents who provide a fantastic service and go that extra mile for their clients, should be rewarded and highlighted for their endeavours.” Linley & Simpson has a network of 11 branches across West and North Yorkshire and its offices in Harrogate and Horsforth, Leeds, also struck gold in their BPA judging areas. The award marks a recent winning double for Linley & Simpson, who secured the title of Estate Agent of the Year in the Yorkshire Residential Property Awards.