Fine & Country has introduced a self-employed agency business model to be run by well-known former Property Academy chief Nicky Stevenson.

The new model, known as the Fine & Country Associate platform, will be offered to agents alongside the traditional option of being a licensee of Fine & Country.

It’s already been trialled in the F&C Midlands offices and has been described as a “success.”

“The model will be for experienced agents who wish to have the backing of an established, respected brand, while still being able to maintain their own independence and identity. We believe that the self-employed model is going to continue to grow in the UK as more and more agents seek an alternative to working for a salary and minimal portion of the fee” says Stevenson.

“Many agents are realising that they have the potential to earn far more in a self-employed model” she adds.

Stevenson’s most recent employer, before moving to F&C, was Keller Williams – operating one of the most pro-self employed agency models in the UK now.

Stevenson says that while only a small percentage of UK estate agents are self-employed, she believes as many as 30 per cent of the industry could be using this model by the end of the 2020s.

“As a brand, we want to continue to grow while being flexible and remaining sensitive to the changes we are seeing within the market and what the industry wants. A self-employed model provides an opportunity for experienced, entrepreneurially-minded agents to own their own business without having the overheads of running a high-street or traditional agency” explains David Lindley, chief executive of Fine & Country.

“As seasoned property professionals, they will have flexibility and independence while being supported by an established premium brand” he adds.

He continues that the new self-employed model offered by Fine & Country will not affect the current licensee model.

“Our licensees have the exclusive right to market and sell properties within their territories, and they can choose to participate in the associate platform if they would like.”