A firm has taken on a property that it says is the largest ever single instruction to an online agent.

It is a commercial property – a 64,000 sq ft warehouse and industrial site of 2.71 acres in Northampton.

The vendor, Hiten Shah, will have paid Virtual Commercial somewhere between nothing and £798 plus VAT upfront.

Chief executive Andrew Vertes said: “Online estate agency is going from strength to strength on the residential side as consumers become more comfortable with the benefits of the model.

“Whilst early in the adoption cycle, we are seeing a similar trend on the commercial side of the equation.

“We are conscious that many commercial property owners have been waiting for a fixed fee solution. In the case of high value properties the need is particularly great, as traditional commercial estate agency fees can quickly run into the tens of thousands of pounds on a commission based model.”

Vertes launched Virtual Commercial in July 2016, focusing on commercial sales and lettings, along with business disposals.

He added: “Much like Purplebricks on the residential side, we charge a flat fee and no commission to owners and occupiers looking to dispose of their commercial property.

“We strongly believe the commercial side of the market is ripe for disruption and that the model has now been proven by the likes of Purplebricks and Emoov on the residential side of the market.”

The firm has three packages, starting with a free one that allows the user to upload their property to the Virtual Commercial Portal.

The second pack is £297 plus VAT, charged quarterly, and which includes listings on the main commercial property portals such as Zoopla and Estates Gazette.

The third pack is £798 plus VAT, with includes negotiation and the writing of the heads of terms.