How we work
A dental practice sales agent built by dentists
Selling your dental practice is the biggest single transaction of your career. The price you achieve depends on three things – whether the valuation is defensible, whether the practice is properly prepared before it hits the market, and whether the right buyer is matched to it. Get those three right and the price looks after itself.
Samera Practice Sales Limited is a dedicated dental practice sales agent. We’re a separate FCA-regulated entity inside the Samera group, run by dentists who own and operate their own practices. We’ve been acting for sellers since 2002. We know what good practices look like to buyers, what diligence will surface, and where the negotiation actually moves.
We work for sellers – exclusively. We don’t take fees from buyers on the deals we run, we don’t represent both sides of a transaction, and we don’t take any payment until the sale completes.
How we charge – and how we don’t
Our commission is 2.5% of the sale price, capped at £50,000. We’re paid only when the deal completes. There are no upfront fees, no marketing fees, no withdrawal fees. If the practice doesn’t sell, you don’t pay us. Most dental practice sales agents charge 3% with no cap – on a £2 million sale that’s a £10,000 saving on percentage alone, and £35,000 once the cap kicks in. See the calculator further down the page.
Step 1
Start with a realistic valuation
Most owners think their practice is worth more than it is. Some think it’s worth less. Both are expensive mistakes – an over-valued practice sits on the market for two years and then sells for less than a properly-valued one would have. An under-valued practice leaves money on the table that you can’t get back once the deal completes.
The honest valuation isn’t a single number. It’s a range with a credible top end and a defensible floor, based on EBITDA multiples, the contract mix, the lease or freehold position, the patient base, and how much of the practice’s value depends on you personally as the principal.
Our calculator below gives you an indicative range in 30 seconds based on turnover, EBITDA and surgery count. It’s a starting point, not a final valuation – the next step is a proper conversation about what’s behind the numbers and what they could look like with 6 to 24 months of preparation. For legal valuations (divorce, probate, partnership splits) where a formal written report is required, see our Practice Valuations service.
Turnover:
Net Profit:
EBITDA: ? Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) is a measure of a company’s operating performance. Essentially, it’s a way to evaluate a company’s performance without having to factor in financing decisions, accounting decisions or tax environments.
Number of Surgeries:
Practice Type:
We estimate your practice is valued between
For a more detailed valuation please call us on:
020 7100 8788
or
Click Here to Get in Touch
Practice Value Range:
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Step 2
The 6 to 24 months before sale that change the price
The practices that sell for the strongest prices aren’t the ones that walked into a sales agent’s office one Monday morning. They’re the ones whose owners started preparing the business 12 to 24 months before market – cleaning up the accounts, lifting EBITDA, sorting the lease, getting the staff structure right, and reducing principal dependency so the goodwill transfers properly.
The work is straightforward, but it has to be done in the right order:
- EBITDA prep. Most practices have 5 to 15% of unrealised EBITDA sitting in fee positioning, mix optimisation, cost control and unproductive surgery time. We model the gap and prioritise the changes that move the number fastest.
- Clean accounts and tax position. Buyers’ accountants run financial due diligence on every practice they’re seriously considering. Accounts that are tidy, reconcile properly and tell a consistent story make the diligence smoother, the trust higher and the price more defensible.
- Reduce principal dependency. If 60% of the goodwill is you, that’s a problem for a buyer. We work on associate retention, hygienist mix and patient distribution so the practice can stand without you in the chair.
- Sort the lease, the property and the staff contracts. Anything unresolved here becomes a discount point in negotiation.
The Samera accountancy team handles the financial side of this directly. The clinical and operational side we work on with you and, where useful, through the Samera Alliance partner network.
Or work on individual value-build pieces directly
These are the services we most often deploy for sellers preparing piece by piece – rather than the full 18-month programme.
Dental Practice Growth Strategy Session
60 minutes with someone who owns the practice, runs the numbers and built the software. The lowest-commitment way to scope what’s possible before sale.
Samera Growth Advisory
Ongoing growth advisory for owners and groups preparing to exit – the monthly retainer work that moves the multiple, not just the EBITDA.
Fee review
Most practices are 10 to 20% under-priced. Re-pricing properly lifts EBITDA in months, not years.
Financial Infrastructure build
The project-priced build for groups preparing for institutional sale – reporting, KPIs, EBITDA normalisation and the financial pack a serious buyer expects.
Each of these sits inside Samera’s wider Grow a dental practice service cluster – the hub for owners building practice value, whether the goal is a higher-multiple sale, a group exit, or simply running a better business.
Step 3
The right buyer – not the loudest one
Most sales agents list practices on a public portal and wait for enquiries. That works for some practices, but for most it’s a slow, indiscriminate process that exposes your sale to staff, patients, suppliers and competitors before you have a buyer in place.
We work differently. Samera holds an active database of registered buyers – dentists who have come to us specifically because they want to buy a practice. We know what each buyer is looking for in terms of region, contract mix, size and price range. When your practice goes on the market, we match it against the database and approach the buyers whose profile fits.
That keeps the sale confidential, shortens the time to completion, and concentrates negotiation on buyers who are genuinely qualified – not curious browsers. The buyers we approach already have their finance options scoped (often through Samera Finance) and are ready to move when the right opportunity lands.
If wider marketing is the right call for your practice, we’ll tell you – and we’ll do that too. But matching is usually where the strongest offers come from.
Step 4
Negotiation, due diligence, and tax-efficient completion
The price agreed at heads of terms isn’t the price that completes. Between the handshake and the wire transfer there are typically four to six months of due diligence, legal coordination, NHS contract novation if relevant, and structural negotiation. Most of the value erosion in dental sales happens in that window – through retrospective adjustments, claw-back clauses, indemnity demands or working capital arguments that weren’t in the original offer.
We sit on the seller’s side of the table throughout. We coordinate the responses to the buyer’s financial due diligence, work alongside your solicitor on the legal points, advise on the structure of the consideration (cash on completion versus deferred, share sale versus asset sale, with all the tax consequences that follow), and protect the headline price from death-by-a-thousand-cuts.
The tax point matters more than most sellers realise. Capital gains tax, Business Asset Disposal Relief, the difference between a share sale and an asset sale, how the proceeds are paid out, what happens if there’s a holding company structure – all of these change what actually lands in your bank account. The deal structure should reflect the tax position, not be designed and then handed to the accountants after the fact.
Tax planning for dentists
CGT, Business Asset Disposal Relief, share-vs-asset sale – get this right before heads of terms.
Financial due diligence
We handle the buyer’s diligence requests so your numbers stand up under scrutiny.
Thinking about selling in the next 1-5 years?
Have a free, confidential conversation with our sales team. We’ll give you a realistic valuation range, tell you what the practice could be worth with proper preparation, and help you decide the right time to go to market.
Our pricing
2.5% commission. Capped at £50,000. Paid only on completion.
We charge a flat 2.5% of the sale price, capped at £50,000. That cap is the part most sellers miss when comparing agents. On a £1 million sale, 2.5% is £25,000 against a typical 3% market rate of £30,000 – a £5,000 saving. On a £2 million sale, 2.5% would be £50,000 (where the cap kicks in) against £60,000 at 3% – a £10,000 saving. On a £3 million sale, the cap means you still pay £50,000 against a market £90,000 – a £40,000 saving. The bigger the sale, the more the cap matters.
There are no upfront fees. No marketing fees. No withdrawal fees. We don’t bill by the hour, we don’t add disbursements, and we don’t take any payment until the deal completes. If the practice doesn’t sell, you don’t pay us.
Our incentive is straightforward – we get paid when you do, at a rate that’s tied to the price we achieve. That alignment is the point.
Interactive commission savings calculator: developer to embed (preserves live page JS logic). Sliders for sale price, our 2.5% rate with cap applied, competitor 3% rate, calculated saving with Samera.
Who you’ll work with
Speak to the Samera sales team
Book a free, no-obligation call directly with the team member whose work matches what you need.
CEO and Principal – Samera Practice Sales Limited
- Dental Practice Sales – £1m+ Personally Handled
- Deal Structure and Negotiation
- Dental Accountancy and Tax for Dental Groups and DSOs
- DSOs and Large Dental Groups
Accountancy Senior Manager
- Exit Planning and EBITDA Preparation
- Tax-Efficient Sale Structuring (CGT, BADR)
- Dental Accountancy and Tax for Practice Owners
- Financial Due Diligence (Seller-Side)
What clients say
Reviews
I have nothing but praise for Samera. I had a dental sale which lasted 2 years due to COVID. An extremely stressful experience. Throughout the whole process Samera, and in particular Arun, were totally amazing. There were a few occasions that the sale almost never went ahead. Samera were absolutely pivotal in ensuring that things progressed till completion. I’m so grateful to Arun and Team Samera …
Qazafi Khalil – 5 Stars
Arun, Natasha and all the team at Samera have provided outstanding service to me over a number of years – they are experts and are friendly and easy to deal with – would thoroughly …
Peter Grimes – 5 Stars
Samera have been my accountant for 7 years and have continued to provide me with accurate accounts and timely submissions. Their digital workflow eases the management of receipts …
Patrick Abbott – 5 Stars
The experienced, knowledgeable and approachable Samera team presented a comprehensive overview of group dentistry – from marketing and growth at practice level, to structure and exit at group level. The all-encompassing team were able to advise candidly on all aspects of this journey. Would highly recommend!
AJ – 5 Stars
Arun Mehra and his friendly team … helped and advised me in all matters of accountancy, raising finance, payroll, furlough support and general business advice. The whole team co…
Antimos Ouzounoglou – 5 Stars
Related reading
Guides to selling a dental practice
The value of a dental practice (with calculator)
How dental practice valuations actually work – with worked examples for NHS, private and mixed practices.
How to sell your dental practice in 9 steps
The full roadmap – from working out a timeline to closing the deal.
Maximising your dental practice’s EBITDA
Arun on how to grow EBITDA in the 12 to 24 months before sale.
7 essential things to consider when selling
The decision-stage checklist before you commit to a sales process.
Related services
Other ways Samera supports sellers
OVERVIEW – Grow a dental practice
The growth hub – the cluster Exit Planning, Growth Advisory and Financial Infrastructure all sit inside.
Exit planning and M&A advisory
The structured 18-month exit programme – the productised version of the prep work above.
Practice valuations
Independent dental practice valuations for buyers, sellers and legal purposes (divorce, probate, partnership splits).
Buy a dental practice
Thinking about your next move after the sale? Our buyers advisory hub.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about selling a dental practice
How much is my dental practice worth?
Dental practices typically sell for a multiple of EBITDA – usually 4x to 8x depending on contract mix, location, size, profitability and how much the goodwill depends on the principal personally. NHS practices and large group-quality private practices command the higher end of the range; smaller principal-led practices sit lower. The calculator on this page gives an indicative range in 30 seconds, and our full guide to dental practice valuations covers the methodology with worked examples. The accurate answer for your practice needs a proper conversation – book a free valuation at the top of the page.
How is your commission calculated?
We charge 2.5% of the sale price, capped at £50,000, paid only on completion. There are no upfront fees, no marketing fees, no withdrawal fees. If the practice doesn’t sell, you don’t pay us. Most dental practice sales agents charge 3% with no cap, which means on larger sales the cap saves you tens of thousands of pounds. The calculator in the pricing section above shows the saving against a 3% market rate.
How long does it take to sell a dental practice?
From going to market to completion typically takes 6 to 12 months. Heads of terms usually agreed within 2 to 4 months of marketing. Financial due diligence, legal completion and NHS contract novation (if relevant) then run in parallel for a further 3 to 6 months. Sellers who prepare properly before going to market (lifting EBITDA, cleaning the accounts, sorting the lease) often see faster sales at stronger prices – that 6 to 24 month pre-market preparation is the most underrated part of the process.
How much tax will I pay on the sale?
It depends on the deal structure and your circumstances. Capital Gains Tax applies to the sale proceeds, currently at 20% on most gains for higher-rate taxpayers, but Business Asset Disposal Relief (formerly Entrepreneurs’ Relief) can reduce that to 10% on up to £1 million of qualifying gains in your lifetime. Share sales and asset sales have different tax treatments. The structure of the consideration (cash on completion versus deferred consideration) also matters. Get the tax planning done before heads of terms, not after – see our tax planning service for more.
Will my staff and patients find out the practice is for sale?
Not unless and until you choose to tell them. We market practices confidentially – matched against our active buyer database rather than listed on public portals. Only qualified buyers under signed confidentiality agreements see your practice’s identity and accounts. Most of our clients tell their staff and patients about the sale only once heads of terms are signed with the chosen buyer.
What happens to NHS contracts when I sell?
NHS contracts don’t automatically transfer to a new owner. They have to be novated – formally transferred – with the agreement of the NHS commissioner. The process takes time and isn’t guaranteed, which is why NHS-dependent practices need a buyer with the right credentials and a sale timeline that allows for the novation process. We coordinate this alongside your solicitors and the buyer’s team.
Can you value a practice for divorce, probate or a partnership dispute?
Yes. We provide independent dental practice valuations for legal and contested situations – divorce proceedings, probate, partnership splits, and shareholder disputes. These valuations are transparent, balanced and accurate, prepared with both parties’ interests in mind so a meaningful settlement is possible. The valuation methodology is the same as for a sale, but the deliverable is a formal report rather than a marketing plan. See our Practice Valuations service for the full methodology, or book a call to discuss the specifics.
What does Samera Practice Sales Limited actually do that the rest of the Samera group doesn’t?
Samera Practice Sales Limited (company number 9868551) is the dedicated FCA-regulated sales agent entity within the Samera group. It’s the entity that holds the buyer database, takes the agency mandate, runs the sales process, and is paid the commission on completion. The wider Samera group provides the supporting services – accountancy, EBITDA prep, tax planning, financial due diligence – which are priced separately. Keeping them in one group means the team that runs your accounts is the same team that prepares the sale, no handover gap.
Should I use Samera if I’m planning to sell to my associate, my family or a known buyer?
Yes – the valuation and deal structure work matters just as much for an internal sale as for a market sale, and often more. Family and associate sales can go wrong precisely because both sides assume the other is being fair, then disagree about the number. We do these regularly. The commission is the same 2.5% capped at £50,000, and the value is in the valuation, the structure and the tax planning rather than the buyer search.
Speak to the Samera sales team
When selling a dental practice you need qualified specialists who have done it – and own dental practices themselves. We’ve been helping the UK’s dentists sell their practices for over 25 years. We know what good practices are worth, what they could be worth with proper preparation, and how to land the deal at the best price.
Free, no-obligation valuation. Book a call at a time that suits you – or just pick up the phone.
If you’d prefer to send us your details rather than book a call, fill in the form below and our team will be in touch as soon as possible.
- Phone: (+44) 20 7100 8788
- WhatsApp: Message us on WhatsApp