We’re incredibly proud to say that Brickworks is now a certified B Corp.

But perhaps the most interesting thing we discovered during the process was that we've inadvertently been behaving like one since the day we started.

The business we set out to build

The certification process made us look closely at the business we’d built and ask ourselves some questions about how we operate, who we serve, and what we stand for. What became clear was that the principles at the heart of B Corp — balancing purpose with profit, and considering the interests of all stakeholders rather than simply shareholders — were already deeply embedded in Brickworks. In fact, they were the reason we started the company in the first place.

We set out to do estate agency differently. Not because we thought commercial ambition was unimportant, but because we didn’t believe financial success and doing the right thing had to be opposing forces. And we still don’t. People before profit isn’t a philosophy that sits alongside our business: It is the business.

Putting principles into practice

That means making decisions that put people and the planet into the equation. We’ve never used For Sale or Sold boards, and we take public transport or shanks’ pony rather than branded company cars. We have a fair, income-share pay structure and recruit with equality, inclusivity and diversity front of mind. And, from day one, we’ve given a percentage of every sale fee to homeless charities.

We’ve found that being more human makes good business sense. Treating people with trust and respect — whether they’re colleagues, sellers or buyers — creates better relationships and, ultimately, better outcomes. These aren’t trade-offs we make in spite of running a successful business, they’re literally how we operate.

Doing things differently

For years we’ve challenged some of the more outdated conventions of estate agency and discovered that doing things in an alternative way doesn’t weaken a business, it makes it stronger. Which is why we decided to become a B Corp. We didn’t need a certificate to tell us what we believe but we wanted a way to make those beliefs visible, structured and client facing.

Estate agency is an industry we exist within but, from a values perspective, we don’t particularly feel part of it. There’s a lot about the traditional corporate model — the relentless focus on the bottom line, the ferocious competition, the macho sales culture — that doesn’t sit right with us.

Sharing our values

Becoming a B Corp gives people a shortcut to understanding who we are, while aligning us with a much bigger community of organisations trying to prove there is another way to do business — one where people, communities and the environment matter as much as profit.

Of more than 3,000 certified B Corps in the UK, fewer than 40 operate within property and real estate. That means less than 0.2% of UK estate agencies and property companies are certified. We’re rather proud to be part of that tiny group — and to be pioneering within the all-too-niche category of ethical estate agency.

Making a difference

For us, principles only mean something when you put them into practice. That applies to the everyday choices we make as consumers, but just as much to the bigger decisions in life — including buying or selling a home.

Our B Corp certification doesn’t just prove what we’ve been saying for years. It holds us accountable to it. Brickworks will be reassessed regularly, ensuring we maintain the standards we're committed to — and we'll strive to improve them even further as we evolve.

Ultimately, becoming a B Corp isn’t about being able to say we’re ethical and sustainable. It’s about building a company where those values are so fundamental that they’re impossible to separate from the business itself. That’s the Brickworks we set out to build, and the Brickworks we intend to keep building.