Choosing who sells your home, or finds you a tenant, is one of those decisions that quietly shapes how the whole move feels. A sharp agent turns a nervy sale into a string of calm updates; a sloppy one leaves a good house sitting while the chain frays. Portsmouth and Southsea are thick with agents, from decades-old independents to the branches of national chains, so the fair way to sort them is by what their own customers say once the deal is done.
To build this list our writers worked through the agents carrying a real weight of verified feedback across Portsmouth, Southsea and the near postcodes, reading the Google reviews that sellers, buyers, landlords and tenants actually left rather than the awards hung in the window. Each was weighed on the same measures, with reviews counting for the most, and we checked what people typically pay, because the fee matters as much as a friendly valuation.
Across the city the average agent fee works out at about 1.5 per cent including VAT, and a home takes roughly fifteen weeks to go under offer on an average asking price near £278,000, so there is real money and real time riding on the choice. The ranking runs best first, opening with the agent whose reviews and service stood out most and working down to the solid names that round out the eight. It is a living list, revisited as review books grow.
1. Chinneck Shaw, Milton
On Milton Road, between Baffins and the Eastney edge of Southsea, Chinneck Shaw is the independent that tops the city for sheer weight of goodwill, a 4.9 average spun from more than three hundred and sixty reviews. The praise is strikingly consistent, with proactive sales progressors who chase a stalling chain, lettings staff who turn repairs around fast, and the same names, Toni, Tim and Jamie, thanked again and again. A good number of landlords and tenants describe relationships running ten and even twenty years, about the firmest endorsement a letting agent can earn. It handles sales and a busy managed-lettings book side by side. Selling fees are quoted on instruction and sit in the usual local band of around 1 to 1.5 per cent plus VAT, with managed lettings in the region of 10 to 12 per cent plus VAT.
The selling points
- A 4.9 average across 360-plus reviews, the deepest strong record in the city;
- sales progressors who actively chase solicitors and keep both sides posted;
- a managed-lettings arm praised for fast repairs and very long tenancies;
- named staff who clearly stay put, which steadies the service.
The sticking points
- A couple of sellers felt the opening valuation was pitched high;
- the odd review reports an email left a few days unanswered at busy times.
For an all-round independent that covers selling and letting with equal care, this is the safest pair of hands on the list.
2. Lawson Rose, Southsea
A little further into Southsea on Winter Road, Lawson Rose matches that 4.9, here from more than two hundred and sixty reviews, and has built its name on two things reviewers mention over and over. The first is communication so steady that sellers say they never had to chase; the second is genuinely standout marketing. Daniel’s photography and video get singled out repeatedly, and Emma draws thanks for pushing sales through despite slow solicitors. Honest, realistic valuations come up as often as the glossy listings, which is a healthier sign than pure flattery. The firm sells and lets across PO4, PO5 and PO2. Expect selling fees around 1 to 1.5 per cent plus VAT, confirmed with any sole-agency terms at the valuation.
The selling points
- A 4.9 from 260-plus reviews, with communication the standout theme;
- marketing, photography and video repeatedly called the best in the area;
- realistic valuations rather than inflated ones to win the instruction;
- strong sales progression that keeps slow chains moving.
The sticking points
- An isolated review disputed how a rival bid was relayed;
- one seller found the agent pressed for sole agency, so pin the terms down.
If presentation and clear updates matter most to you, few local agents market a home as sharply.
3. Bushnell Porter, Southsea
Bushnell Porter carries the only perfect score here, a flawless 5.0, though from a younger and smaller book of around a hundred and twenty reviews. It is a sales specialist on Marmion Road, and the write-ups read like a template for how a boutique agency should work. Tim and the team keep buyers and sellers updated at every step, know the Southsea market street by street, and chase the chain so owners do not have to, with first-time buyers mentioning the hand-holding more than most. The trade-off is scope, since it is sales only with no lettings arm, and the review base, while spotless, is thinner than the two leaders’ books. Selling fees are agreed at the valuation and sit in the usual Portsmouth range of roughly 1 to 1.5 per cent plus VAT.
The selling points
- A spotless 5.0 average, rare even on a smaller book;
- genuinely personal service, with first-time buyers singled out;
- deep Southsea market knowledge and realistic pricing;
- active chain-chasing that spares sellers the legwork.
The sticking points
- Sales only, so no help if you also need to let a property;
- a smaller, younger review base than the top two.
A boutique sales agent with a faultless record, ideal if selling well in Southsea is the whole job.
4. Fox & Sons, North End
Up at North End on London Road, Fox & Sons is the strongest-reviewed of the national-chain branches, a 4.7 from well over three hundred reviews, and a useful one-stop shop with sales, lettings and in-house mortgage advice under one roof. Jordan Nicholas, the mortgage adviser, draws more thanks than anyone for translating the confusing parts, and the lettings and viewings team is praised for keeping people informed. Being a branch of a national group, the service is a shade less personal than the independents, and the recurring gripe is exactly that, since updates can dry up when a sale goes quiet. A full-service branch, it runs sales alongside lettings and tenant-find. Selling fees are negotiable and sit around the local 1 to 1.5 per cent plus VAT.
The selling points
- The best-reviewed national-branch agent in the city, 4.7 from 330-plus;
- in-house mortgage advice that buyers single out for praise;
- sales, lettings and tenant-find handled under one roof;
- a prominent, easy-to-reach high-street presence at North End.
The sticking points
- The main complaint is patchy updates once a sale goes quiet;
- a seller or two felt the guide price set expectations too high.
A capable full-service branch, strongest if you want selling, letting and a mortgage sorted in one place.
5. Your Move, Southsea
Your Move sits on Marmion Road in the thick of Southsea’s agent cluster, a 4.7 from more than three hundred reviews split across sales and a sizeable lettings book. Sam Morse earns repeated thanks for sales progression, and the branch gets credit for responsiveness and for working out of hours when a deal needs it, with several landlords and sellers saying they have used it for a decade or more. The softer spots, as with most lettings-heavy branches, are on the rental side, where a few tenants describe chasing for updates or waiting on a deposit. It does sales and lettings both, with property management and tenant-find. Selling fees are set on instruction, around the city norm of 1 to 1.5 per cent plus VAT, with managed lettings roughly 10 to 12 per cent plus VAT.
The selling points
- A 4.7 from 300-plus reviews across sales and lettings;
- sales progression singled out for keeping deals on track;
- responsive staff who will work out of hours when it counts;
- long-standing landlord and seller relationships.
The sticking points
- Some tenants report chasing on repairs or a deposit return;
- the odd cancelled viewing or wrong-property mix-up.
A busy, well-reviewed branch in the Marmion Road hub, dependable for a sale and a solid lettings choice with the usual chain caveats.
6. Charters, Southsea
On Clarendon Road, Charters is the Southsea face of a respected Hampshire group, holding a 4.7 from around two hundred and fifty reviews across sales and lettings in PO4, PO5 and PO1. Rhian, Holly and Shelby are the names that recur, usually for friendly, responsive handling and quick viewings, and more than one seller reports achieving the asking price. Two things are worth weighing. The branch traded for years as Beals, so some older negative reviews predate the rebrand and the current team, and a few people grumble about the volume of marketing letters that land once you are on its radar. It is a full sales-and-lettings branch. Selling fees are quoted at valuation, in the familiar 1 to 1.5 per cent plus VAT range.
The selling points
- A 4.7 from around 250 reviews, part of a well-run Hampshire group;
- friendly, responsive staff and a quick viewing turnaround;
- sellers reporting asking-price results;
- broad coverage across PO4, PO5 and PO1.
The sticking points
- Heavy follow-up marketing letters that are hard to switch off;
- older one-star reviews date from its time trading as Beals.
A solid regional-group branch with a warm local team, worth a valuation if you are selling in central Southsea.
7. Martin & Co, Southsea
Martin & Co, on Grove Road South, is the lettings specialist of the group, a 4.7 from around a hundred and thirty reviews weighted towards landlords and tenants, though its sales side wins real praise too. A fair share of its managed book is the student and young-professional lets that fill PO4 and PO5. James Elvin leads the lettings thanks, Darren Dickinson the sales ones, and the common thread is staff who are responsive and keep people posted through referencing and viewings. As with any busy managed book, the complaints cluster at move-out, over cleaning charges and the odd deposit dispute, with a serious repair grumble surfacing now and then. It leans lettings but handles sales. Managed lettings sit around 10 to 12 per cent plus VAT, and selling fees, where taken, track the local 1 to 1.5 per cent plus VAT.
The selling points
- A 4.7 across 130-odd reviews, strongest on the lettings side;
- responsive staff praised through referencing and viewings;
- a genuine sales arm as well as managed lettings;
- named managers who get singled out for care.
The sticking points
- Move-out cleaning charges and deposit disputes recur;
- the occasional slow repair on a managed let.
The pick here if you are a landlord after hands-on management, with a capable sales side as a bonus.
8. Nexa Properties, Portsmouth
Nexa, on Hampshire Terrace at the city-centre end, carries the largest review base of any agent on the list, more than four hundred, at a still-strong 4.6. Its model is personal, since a dedicated client director sees a sale or move through from valuation to completion with a direct mobile number, and the five-star reviews reward that with praise for prompt, out-of-hours updates and quick sales, sometimes above asking. The 4.6, a shade below the leaders, reflects a louder minority of unhappy tenants whose complaints centre on slow repairs, damp and deposit deductions on the managed-lettings side. It covers both sales and lettings. Selling fees are agreed with your client director, around the local 1 to 1.5 per cent plus VAT.
The selling points
- The biggest review base in the city, 400-plus, at a strong 4.6;
- a personal client-director model with direct contact;
- prompt, often out-of-hours communication on a sale;
- quick sales and above-asking results reported.
The sticking points
- More tenant complaints than the leaders, on repairs and damp;
- deposit deductions and cleaning charges disputed by some renters.
A high-volume agent with a personal selling model, strong for a sale, with the usual managed-lettings caveats to check.
The eight agents side by side
| # | Agent | Area | Typical fee | Score (out of 10) | % (out of 100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chinneck Shaw | Milton | ~1-1.5% +VAT, no sale no fee | 9.5 | 95% |
| 2 | Lawson Rose | Southsea | ~1-1.5% +VAT, no sale no fee | 9.3 | 93% |
| 3 | Bushnell Porter | Southsea | ~1-1.5% +VAT (sales) | 9.2 | 92% |
| 4 | Fox & Sons | North End | ~1-1.5% +VAT, check tie-in | 8.8 | 88% |
| 5 | Your Move | Southsea | ~1-1.5% +VAT, check tie-in | 8.6 | 86% |
| 6 | Charters | Southsea | ~1-1.5% +VAT | 8.5 | 85% |
| 7 | Martin & Co | Southsea | Lettings 10-12% +VAT | 8.3 | 83% |
| 8 | Nexa Properties | City centre | ~1-1.5% +VAT | 8.1 | 81% |
The scores, agent by agent (out of 10)
What stood out across the field
A clear split runs through the numbers. The two agents at the very top, and the perfect-scoring boutique just behind them, are all independents, where a named person owns your sale from valuation to keys. The national and regional branches cluster a reliable notch below at 4.7, strong by any normal measure but carrying the one recurring weakness of scale, communication that can thin out when a branch gets busy.
The other pattern is where the complaints land. Pure sales agents attract few serious gripes, while almost every sustained criticism in the city attaches to the managed-lettings side, over repairs, damp and deposits, which is worth remembering if you are a landlord choosing who looks after a property rather than a seller choosing who sells one. On price there is little to separate anyone, since local fees bunch around 1 to 1.5 per cent plus VAT and the law caps what tenants can be charged, so the real choice is who you trust to answer the phone.
How we ranked them
Each agent was scored out of ten on the same weighted measures, adapted for the property trade. The Google reviews and overall reputation counted for most at about 35 per cent, the service through a sale or tenancy, taking in communication, sales progression and marketing, another 25, value and fees 15, consistency judged by the depth of the review base 15, and local coverage the last 10. We read the public feedback and weighed the agents against one another rather than instructing any of them, and we checked what people actually pay, a Portsmouth average agent fee of about 1.5 per cent including VAT, managed lettings around 10 to 12 per cent plus VAT, and a market where homes take roughly fifteen weeks to go under offer on an average asking price near £278,000. Reviews for the chain branches often pool sales and lettings together, so a single rating can carry two quite different experiences. This is an editorial snapshot taken in late October 2026, not an official ranking, and the order will shift as review books grow and teams change, so confirm fees and terms at the valuation. When a sale does go through, the next job is getting your things across the city, and our guides to Portsmouth removal firms and moving to the island city can pick it up from there.
