What Connells Group does

Connells Group is the UK's largest integrated estate agency and property services provider, operating through a network of over 1,200 branches that cover 88% of UK postcode areas and employing roughly 16,000 people. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Skipton Building Society, the group is headquartered in Leighton Buzzard (relocating to a new 60,000 sq ft Milton Keynes HQ) and runs a portfolio of 60+ brands including Connells, Countrywide, Hamptons, Sequence, John D Wood & Co., Slater Hogg & Howison, Blundells and Lambert Smith Hampton. In FY2025 the group reported £1.16bn of revenue (up 9% year-on-year) and £73.1m of profit before tax (up 19%), facilitating ~86,000 property exchanges (around 10% of UK home sales), generating £33.3bn of mortgage lending for UK providers, managing 128,000+ lettings properties and handling ~550,000 survey and valuation jobs.

The group's core offering spans estate agency sales, residential lettings, mortgage broking, conveyancing, surveys and valuations, new homes, land and planning, auctions, asset management, insurance distribution and affordable housing services — an end-to-end property lifecycle stack delivered through the branch network. Its proprietary technology layer includes LMS's National Property Transaction Network (NPTN) used in the Lloyds Banking Group / Connells / LMS fully digital homebuying service launched in April 2026, and a bespoke digital home insurance platform built with Ageas in June 2026. Connells captures real-time transaction data at UDPRN level across its branch footprint, which feeds a research and consultancy line serving developers, house builders, housing associations and institutional investors.

The business model is primarily transaction-fee based: commissions on residential sales, transaction fees on mortgages and surveys, recurring management fees on the lettings portfolio, and fee-for-service on conveyancing, new homes, insurance, commercial agency, asset management and research. Customer acquisition combines physical branch coverage (the dominant channel), digital platforms, and embedded advisers in partnership with lenders (Lloyds), insurers (Ageas) and conveyancers (LMS). Customer segments include individual home buyers and sellers, first-time buyers (now 34.3% of UK purchases in January 2026), PRS landlords and institutional investors, residential developers, and local councils / housing associations. Growth is driven by a combination of organic transaction volume, an active acquisition roll-up (13 deals in 2025), and digital platform expansion.

Name

Connells Group

Legal name

Connells Limited

Website

https://connellsgroup.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Connells Group is the UK's largest estate agency and integrated property services provider, operating over 1,200 branches across 88% of UK postcodes. It serves individual buyers, sellers, landlords, developers and housing associations with sales, lettings, mortgage, conveyancing, surveying, insurance and research services under 60+ brands including Connells, Countrywide, Hamptons and Sequence.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Services

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (53121), Real Estate Property Managers (53131), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Loan Brokers (6163), Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Traditional Residential Brokerage (Existing Homes) (BPAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Property Management Advisory & Leasing Administration (FSAEAJAN), Insurtech-Enabled Brokerage (Digital Brokers & Aggregators) (FSAEADAN)

Keywords

• Estate agency services
• Residential lettings
• Mortgage brokerage
• Conveyancing services
• Property surveying

Headquarters

HQ city

Leighton Buzzard

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Estate Agency Sales: Commissions from residential property sales across the 1,200+ branch network. Connells Group facilitated ~80,000 property exchanges in 2024 and ~86,000 in 2025, representing around one in ten of all UK home sales.
2. Lettings Management: Lettings fees from managing residential properties. Lettings portfolio grew to over 128,000 properties managed in 2025 (up from 125,500 in 2024). Also includes PRS investor services and corporate lettings.
3. Mortgage Services: Mortgage brokerage and arrangement fees. Connells Group generated £33.3bn of lending for UK mortgage providers in 2025, with arranged mortgages up 9% year-on-year.
4. Surveys and Valuations: Survey and valuation services generating ~550,000 survey and valuation jobs handled in 2024, up 7% in 2025.
5. Conveyancing: Conveyancing services offered as part of the integrated property services proposition. Partners with LMS for the digital homebuying service.
6. New Homes, Land and Planning: Services for housing developers including land acquisition, planning, and new homes sales. NHQB accredited supplier for new homes.
7. Insurance Services: Home insurance products offered through the branch network via the Ageas digital platform, covering quote, purchase, servicing and renewal.
8. Affordable Housing Services: Specialist shared ownership services through Countrywide, including sales, marketing, customer care and resales for housing associations and local authorities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Connells Group is the UK's largest integrated property services and estate agency group, operating a network of over 1,200 branches delivering residential sales, lettings and property management, mortgage brokerage, conveyancing, surveying and valuations, new homes sales, land and planning, auctions, PRS investor services, corporate lettings, affordable housing (shared ownership) and a research consultancy. It operates through 60+ brands (Connells, Countrywide, Hamptons, Sequence, John D Wood & Co., Slater Hogg & Howison, Blundells, Lambert Smith Hampton among others) and is enhancing its proposition via a Digital Home Insurance Platform (with Ageas) and a fully Digital Homebuyer Service (with Lloyds Banking Group and LMS).

Product overview

Connells Group is the UK's largest integrated property services and estate agency group, operating as a platform of over 1,200 branches supported by a suite of complementary service lines. The core offering consists of Estate Agency, Mortgage Services, Residential Lettings, Conveyancing, and Surveys and Valuations, alongside specialized modules including New Homes, Land and Planning, Auctions, Affordable Housing Services, Commercial Agency, Asset Management, Energy Performance Certificates and Inventories, Corporate Lettings, PRS Investor Services (Connells Living), and Research/Consultancy. The Group also offers proprietary digital products including a Fully Digital Homebuyer Service (in partnership with Lloyds Banking Group and LMS) and a Digital Home Insurance Platform (with Ageas). The brand portfolio spans major sub-brands including Countrywide (with ~60 brands), Hamptons, and Sequence, alongside acquired regional brands such as Blundells, Slater Hogg & Howison, John D Wood & Co., Crofts Estate Agents, Denny & Salmond, Tylers Property Partnership, Ridgewater Property Ltd, and Lambert Smith Hampton (commercial). Dynamo provides specialist buy-to-let mortgage brokerage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Connells Living: Full-service offering for Private Rented Sector (PRS) investors, providing services covering the entire asset lifecycle including Build To Rent schemes, portfolio management, and investment advisory.
• Countrywide

Products and services

• Estate Agency Core residential property sales service offered across Connells Group's network of over 1,200 branches, enabling customers to buy and sell properties. The Group facilitates approximately 86,000 property exchanges per year, representing around one in ten of all UK home sales.
• Mortgage Services Mortgage intermediation and arrangement services connecting buyers with lenders. Connells Group generated £33.3bn of lending for UK mortgage providers in 2025, with arranged mortgages up 9% year-on-year. Authorised and regulated by the FCA (Register number 302221).
• Residential Lettings Residential lettings and property management services across the branch network, with the Group's lettings portfolio managing over 128,000 properties as of 2025, making it the largest lettings business in the UK.
• Conveyancing Legal conveyancing services supporting property transaction completion. The Group has partnered with LMS to integrate conveyancing into the fully Digital Homebuyer Service using the National Property Transaction Network.
• Surveys and Valuations Survey and valuation services with volumes up 7% in 2025. The Group handled nearly 550,000 survey and valuation jobs in 2024, reinforcing its leadership in property services.
• New Homes New homes sales and marketing services working with developers and housing providers. The Group is the first estate agency to be named an 'Accredited Supplier' by the New Homes Quality Board (NHQB), covering Connells, Countrywide, Hamptons and Sequence new homes agencies.
• Land and Planning Land acquisition and planning services supporting new housing development, including land information services.
• Auctions Property auction services for sales.
• PRS Investor Services (Connells Living) Full-service offering for Private Rented Sector (PRS) investors, covering Build-to-Rent (BTR) scheme letting, disposals, portfolio management and bespoke research reports. Headed by Group PRS Director James Thornett.
• Corporate Lettings Corporate residential property services for institutional investors, corporate and large-scale landlords. Provides advisory, consultancy and strategic advice to develop and grow property portfolios. Led by Group Lettings Development Director Nik Madan.
• Affordable Housing Services Specialist services for housing associations and local authorities covering shared ownership, affordable housing sales, sector-specific compliance and consultancy. Countrywide Shared Ownership launched a Re-sales provision in February 2025 offering a 360-degree solution for Affordable Housing providers to manage the onward sale of a Shared Ownership property.
• Commercial Agency Commercial property agency services offered through Lambert Smith Hampton and other Connells commercial teams.
• Asset Management Asset management services for property portfolios.
• Energy Performance Certificates and Inventories EPC provision and inventory services for property transactions and lettings.
• Research and Consultancy Bespoke research and consultancy services for developers, house builders, housing associations, local authorities and institutional investors, providing national, regional, local and postcode-level insight powered by proprietary data from over 1,200 branches covering 88% of UK postcode areas.
• Dynamo (Buy-to-Let Mortgage Brokerage) Specialist buy-to-let brokerage operated by Connells Group, working with landlords ranging from single-property investors to large portfolio owners, with particular focus on complex, specialist lending. Won 'Specialist Broker of the Year' and 'Buy to Let Broker of the Year' at the MoneyAge Mortgage Awards 2024.
• Digital Home Insurance Platform Bespoke digital insurance platform developed with Ageas Group (Brussels), enabling Connells Group's advisers across the 1,200-branch network to offer insurance services from quote to purchase through to servicing and renewal.
• Fully Digital Homebuyer Service Fully digital homebuying service developed in partnership with Lloyds Banking Group and LMS. Uses LMS's National Property Transaction Network (NPTN) to capture and share property, identity and financial information digitally across the transaction, reducing duplication, waiting times and transaction fall-throughs across England and Wales.

Quantifiable outcome

• 86,000 property exchanges facilitated in 2025, representing around 1 in 10 UK home sales
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• AgeascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026Ageas extended its 30-year partnership with Connells Group by creating a bespoke digital insurance platform enabling advisers across the 1,200-branch network to offer insurance services from quote to purchase through to servicing and renewal. The platform was built with expertise from Ageas Group in Brussels and is described as a model for future large-scale digital partnerships. This reflects mutual ambitions to enhance the home insurance proposition and create more efficient customer and adviser experiences.
• Lloyds Banking GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 April 2026Connells Group, Lloyds Banking Group (UK's biggest mortgage lender), and LMS partnered to launch a fully digital homebuying service across England and Wales. The service uses a shared data-exchange platform (LMS's NPTN) to eliminate duplicated checks, reduce waiting times, and minimise repetitive identity verification. This partnership marks the first phase of a revolutionary national network of agents, lenders, conveyancers and surveyors delivering a live end-to-end digitally enabled home sale and purchase journey.
• LMScoreTechnology or Integration · 21 April 2026LMS, the UK's leading provider of conveyancing, partnered with Connells Group and Lloyds Banking Group to launch the fully digital homebuying service. LMS's National Property Transaction Network (NPTN) serves as the shared data-exchange platform enabling property, identity, and financial information to be captured once and reused by all parties in a transaction. The network is built on agreed standards aligned to the Property Data Trust Framework (PDTF).
• MoverlysupportingTechnology or Integration · 21 April 2026Moverly supports the digital homebuying service by enabling sellers to become 'digital sale ready' earlier, with property, ID and material information captured up front.
• ArmalytixsupportingTechnology or Integration · 21 April 2026Armalytix, the market-leading financial intelligence provider, supports the digital homebuying service by enabling source of funds checks to be made earlier in the process, confirming buyers' ability to buy sooner.
• CredassupportingTechnology or Integration · 21 April 2026Credas provides identity verification services as part of the digital homebuying service ecosystem, reducing repetitive ID verification requests.
• TM GroupsupportingTechnology or Integration · 21 April 2026TM Group provides property data and search services as part of the digital homebuying service, with searches provided alongside the property listing to minimise late surprises.
• Novus StrategysupportingTechnology or Integration · 21 April 2026Novus Strategy supports the digital homebuying service ecosystem with strategic expertise in the property transaction process.
• New Homes Quality Board (NHQB)coreOthers · 9 April 2024Connells Group was named the first estate agency 'Accredited Supplier' by the NHQB, a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the quality of new homes and customer service. Connells Group's new homes agencies (Connells, Countrywide, Hamptons, Sequence) adhere to the New Homes Quality Code, providing full transparency and clarity for purchasers of new homes during the reservation process.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• LSL Property Services: UK-listed residential property services group operating Your Move, Reeds Rains, Mortgage Advice Bureau and surveying brands. Directly comparable to Connells in residential sales, lettings and surveying, and the closest publicly traded benchmark for valuation.
• Foxtons: London-focused estate agency and lettings group with a branch-based sales and lettings model. Comparable to Connells' John D Wood and Aspire sub-brands in the prime/south-west London segment, with overlapping customer base and similar reliance on UK transaction volumes.
• The Property Franchise Group: UK-listed residential sales and lettings franchise platform (Martin & Co, EweMove, Hunters, CJ Hole, Belvoir acquired subs). Comparable to Connells in residential estate agency and lettings though it uses a franchise model rather than wholly-owned branches.
• Belvoir Group: UK franchised lettings and sales network (Belvoir, Newton Fallowell, Northwood, Goodfellows). Most directly comparable to Connells' 128,000-property lettings management franchise and mortgage referral model.
• Winkworth: UK franchised estate agency specialising in prime and family residential sales and lettings. Comparable to Connells' Hamptons and John D Wood premium residential offering on the franchised side.

Broad incumbents

• Savills: Global real estate advisory and agency with a sizeable UK residential and commercial presence. Overlaps with Connells on residential sales, new homes consultancy and PRS/build-to-rent advisory but offers a much wider international portfolio and capital markets footprint.
• Knight Frank: Global real estate consultancy and agency with significant UK residential, commercial and PRS exposure. Comparable to Connells' Hamptons premium brand and Connells Living PRS offering, though Knight Frank operates a broader international footprint and is private-equity backed.

Regional players

• Chestertons: London-focused estate agency and lettings group with international reach. Comparable to Connells' premium London brands (John D Wood, Hamptons) on a regional basis with similar prime central London client mix.

Emerging players

• Strike (formerly Purplebricks): Online/hybrid estate agency that re-platformed Purplebricks under the Strike brand with a fee-based, lower-cost model. Represents the asset-light competitor threat to Connells' branch-heavy estate agency proposition.
• Yopa: UK hybrid estate agency using local agents combined with a central platform. Comparable as a technology-led disruptor targeting the same UK residential seller market as Connells' core estate agency.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/connells-group
• Xx.com/ConnellsGroup

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A5 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Connells Group