Agency founder moves from kitchen table business to award winner

The founder of an estate agency which began life operating from a kitchen table has now won two prestigious awards. 

Deborah Richards, founder of Tunbridge Wells estate agency Maddisons Residential, has won the Growth Award at the 2022 Kent Women in Business Awards, and has been awarded Runner Up for the Best Business Over Five Years. 

Since founding Maddisons Residential in 2013, Richards says she has endured many financial, economic and political challenges in bringing the firm to its current position. 

The 13-person business has consistently ranked in the top three per cent of UK estate agents since 2017, she says, proving itself against well-known national competitors. 

“When I started Maddisons Residential, there were already 36 established estate agents in Tunbridge Wells” says Richards. 

“I’m delighted that nine years later, we’re the number one agent in the town on a lot of measurements and it’s a credit to the whole team that our growth, along with the exceptional experience that we provide for our customers, was acknowledged by the judges. 

“My aim was to create an estate agents’ that provided the service I wished I had had when I was buying and selling property. I am delighted that this ethos has proved so popular with house sellers and landlords, and that this has now been reflected with award recognition for the whole team.”