Wards of Kent

Wards of Kent, an estate agency with over a century in Kent

Wards of Kent is an independent estate agency operating in the county of Kent, in south-east England. It presents itself as the leading local agency for buying, selling and renting homes, with a history dating back to 1922, when Ward & Partners was established in Gillingham. The firm has been part of the Arun Estates group since 1991, when Paul Rooney acquired the company and integrated it alongside other estate agency brands in the south-east.

The company describes itself as the largest independent estate agency in south-east England, a claim that corresponds to its own presentation and is supported by its extensive network of offices and its volume of transactions. Its activity focuses on supporting owners, buyers, tenants and landlords throughout the entire property process.

Services for selling a home

Wards offers homeowners wishing to sell their property a set of services ranging from the initial valuation to the completion of the transaction. The agency carries out in-person valuations and also instant online valuations, and provides tools for sellers to track the status of their transaction online.

Among the sales methods it advertises are full market launch and the formula known as Secure My Sale. The firm also provides advice on conveyancing, the legal process of transferring property ownership in the UK, and offers informative guides for sellers, including a tool that estimates how many potential buyers there are in a given area.

Services for buying a home

For buyers, the agency facilitates property searches by town or area, registration for new property alerts and access to financial calculators, such as the mortgage affordability calculator and the Stamp Duty calculator. It also provides information on home ownership schemes such as Shared Ownership and Help to Buy.

Wards has a specific new homes service, aimed both at buyers interested in new-build developments and at property developers. The agency advises developers and offers marketing services for new developments.

Lettings management and services for landlords

In the lettings field, Wards manages both tenant finding and property administration. Landlords can contract marketing services for their property, full lettings management and advice on buy-to-let investments. The agency publishes guides for landlords, an ask the experts service and a tool called the 14-Day Challenge, aimed at finding tenants within a short period.

For tenants, the firm offers a dedicated portal with information on tenancy agreements, deposit protection and practical advice, as well as the option to register for property alerts.

Associated financial and legal services

Through Mortgage Matters Direct, a firm created in 2000, Wards makes specialist mortgage advisers available to its clients. The agency also offers conveyancing services and advice on land investment and property development, including the option to sell land.

Presence in Kent and property outreach

Wards operates a network of offices in more than one hundred locations, enabling it to maintain a local presence in different areas of Kent. The company collaborates with the Kent Messenger newspaper as an expert voice on property matters and takes part in informative features on Kent Online, where its specialists discuss topics such as buying and selling, mortgages, conveyancing and lettings.

The agency maintains an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 based on 6,298 reviews on Trustpilot, according to the data collected on its website.

History and evolution of the brand

The company's history begins in 1922 with the founding of Ward & Partners in Gillingham. In 1981 Paul Rooney created Rooney & Co in Sussex, and a decade later he acquired the south-east region of Prudential Property Services to found Arun Estates, a group that includes the brands Cubitt & West, Pittis and Wards. In 2000 Mortgage Matters Direct was established. The Ward & Partners brand was refreshed in 2012 and in 2018 it became simply Wards, with a new visual identity that in 2020 adopted gold as its distinctive colour.