The Property Franchise Group (TPFG) has acquired an 85% stake in Smart Advice Financial Solutions (SAFS) as it continues to scale its mortgage and protection distribution alongside its estate agency network.

SAFS is an appointed representative of Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB), the wholly owned subsidiary of AIM-listed Mortgage Advice Bureau (Holdings) plc, and operates with 34 advisers. The acquisition increases TPFG’s financial services network to 315 advisers.

TPFG said the deal supports its strategy of embedding mortgage, remortgage and protection advice more deeply across its franchise brands, as larger property groups look to capture greater value from customer relationships and improve adviser productivity.

GROWTH ENGINE

Financial services has become an increasingly important growth engine for estate agency groups, particularly as transaction volumes remain sensitive to interest rate expectations and affordability pressures.

By expanding adviser numbers and maintaining links with established intermediary networks such as MAB, TPFG is aiming to drive higher levels of referral conversion from its sales and lettings pipelines.

MAB remains one of the UK’s largest mortgage intermediary networks, supporting thousands of advisers through its appointed representative model, with a focus on technology, compliance and lender access.

SAFS operates within that framework while servicing clients across residential, remortgage and related protection needs.

BIG OPPORTUNITY

Michelle Brook (main picture), financial services director at TPFG, said: “We’re very pleased to welcome Smart Advice Financial Solutions to the Group, further expanding our team of professional advisers.

“We see significant opportunity to scale the division across a broader footprint, and we remain focused on increasing advisor productivity alongside recruitment to support our ambitions.”

INTEGRATION STRATEGY

TPFG has been steadily increasing its investment in financial services as part of a broader integration strategy, positioning advice as a core component rather than an ancillary add-on to estate agency activity.

The group believes this approach will help drive more consistent income streams while supporting advisers with scale, brand reach and access to a large introducer base.

The acquisition comes amid continued consolidation across both the estate agency and mortgage advice sectors.