Most independent agents win business the same way. A board goes up, a neighbour rings, a valuation turns into an instruction. It works, but it means waiting for the phone.
There’s another way to grow that most agents don’t touch: going to the businesses that own, build or need property, and starting the conversation yourself.
The trick is knowing exactly who those businesses are. That’s what this ICP is for.
Why not just email landlords?
Because most landlords are private individuals, and in the UK you can’t cold email individuals without their consent. It’s also not a great use of your time.
The landlords worth approaching are the ones running property as a business. More and more portfolio landlords hold their properties through a limited company. They’re easier to find, they’re a business you can legitimately contact, and each one can be worth several instructions a year.
The three groups worth your time
Portfolio landlords with a property company. Usually 3 to 30 properties, run by one or two directors. They care about void periods, good tenants and keeping up with the rules. Many of them are managing more than they’d like to themselves.
Small developers and housebuilders. Anyone building a handful of homes up to around 50 a year. They need local pricing advice, buyer demand and someone to sell or let the units, often before they’re finished.
Employers bringing people into the area. Firms with 50 or more staff who relocate new starters. HR teams need somewhere decent for people to live, quickly, and one contact who sorts it.
Signals that it’s a good time
This is where the ICP earns its keep. You’re not emailing every property company in the county. You’re emailing the ones where something has just happened.
- A new property company has been incorporated at an address in your area
- A company has bought property locally
- Planning permission has been granted for a residential scheme nearby
- A local employer is hiring several people or opening a new site
Each of those is public, and each gives you a genuine reason to get in touch.
Where to find them
Companies House lets you search by SIC code and location for free. The useful codes are 68100 (buying and selling of own real estate), 68209 (letting and operating of own real estate), 41100 (development of building projects) and 41202 (construction of domestic buildings). Filter by a registered office near you and sort by incorporation date.
Your local planning portal shows approved schemes. Job boards show who’s hiring locally. A tool like Apollo can pull the right contact at each.
What to say
Keep it short, plain and about their company. Something like:
Subject: Kestle Homes and the Mill Lane scheme
Hi Dan,
Saw Kestle Homes got the go ahead for the 12 homes on Mill Lane. We sold and let most of the new builds on the Treloggan site last year, so we’ve got a good feel for what buyers round here will pay for two and three beds.
Would a short call on pricing and likely demand be useful before you launch?
Jo, Harbour Street Estates
Not the right person? Just reply and I won’t email again.
No brochure, no “hope you’re well”, nothing about Dan personally. One reason, one question.
The rules, briefly
You can email limited companies, LLPs and public bodies without asking first, as long as you say who you are and make opting out easy. Private landlords and landlords trading as sole traders or partnerships need to have opted in, so leave them off. A named director is still personal data under UK GDPR, so keep only what you need and link to your privacy notice.
This isn’t legal advice, and the ICO is updating its guidance after the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, so check the latest before you send.
Get the template
Download the estate and letting agent ICP. It’s a plain text file with the three groups, the signals, the SIC codes, a leave-out list and the rules, plus spaces for your own details.
Fill in the bits in square brackets, paste it into Claude, Copilot or ChatGPT, and ask it things like:
- “Give me 20 Companies House and Apollo searches to find these companies in my area.”
- “Score this company against the ICP and tell me why.”
- “Write a first email to this developer using the ICP.”
Want to tailor it further? Build your own ICP with the generator.
And when you’re ready to send, Waving sends plain text emails from your own domain, follows up once, and stops the moment someone replies. You approve every email before it goes.
Not your trade?
Build your own ICP in a few minutes. Free, no sign up, nothing leaves your browser.
Open the ICP generator