What Connells does

Connells is a UK estate agency group founded in 1936 in Luton and now headquartered in Leighton Buzzard, trading through approximately 180 Connells-branded branches and 80+ retained local trading names across the wider Group, reaching roughly 1,200 branches and 14,000 employees. The company is wholly owned by Skipton Building Society, a top-ten UK mutual, and is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (register number 302221) for mortgage and non-investment insurance activities.

Its core offering is residential property sales and lettings, delivered through high-street branch networks and complemented by listings on Rightmove, Zoopla, and OnTheMarket. Connells operates a vertically integrated services stack that includes in-house mortgage advisory, surveys and valuations via Connells Survey & Valuation (over 350 RICS-qualified surveyors), in-house home conveyancing, new homes marketing for UK developers, shared ownership, modern method of auction via the iamsold platform, land and development services, and will writing through Redstone Wills. The technology backbone is the Homeflow website platform for property listings and branch management, with Hometrack supplying market data overlays.

The business model is primarily commission-based transaction revenue from residential sales and lettings on a 'no sale, no fee' basis for some services, supplemented by professional-services fees from mortgages, surveys, conveyancing, and ancillary products such as insurance, wills, and auctions. Customers include individual homebuyers and sellers, buy-to-let landlords, first-time buyers, and new homes developers across England, Wales, and Scotland. Distribution is omnichannel: physical branches for advisory and valuations, the Connells website for property search, and the three major UK property portals for visibility.

Name

Connells

Legal name

Connells Limited

Website

https://connells.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Connells is a UK estate agency founded in 1936 and owned by Skipton Building Society, operating approximately 180 branches plus a wider Group network of 1,200 branches and 14,000 staff providing residential sales, lettings, mortgages, surveys, conveyancing, and related property services to consumers and developers across England, Wales, and Scotland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Real Estate Services

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (53121), Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (531210)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Traditional Residential Brokerage (Existing Homes) (BPAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Investment Property Brokerage (SFR/Small Multifamily) (BPAJAAAE), Buyer Representation Services (BPAJAAAJ)

Keywords

• Residential estate agency
• Property lettings services
• Residential mortgage advisory
• Property surveys valuations
• Home conveyancing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Leighton Buzzard

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Residential Property Sales Commission: Commission-based fees from residential property sales through the branch network. Operates on 'no sale, no fee' basis for some services.
2. Residential Lettings: Ongoing lettings fees from property management and tenant placement services.
3. Surveys and Valuations: RICS Home Surveys and property valuations through Connells Survey & Valuation subsidiary with over 350 RICS-qualified surveyors.
4. Will Writing Services: Partnership with Redstone Wills Limited providing will writing services to customers.
5. Modern Method of Auction: Online property auctions through partnership with iamsold, offering an alternative sales method for properties.
6. Mortgage Services: In-house mortgage advisory services working with selected panel of lenders.
7. New Homes Sales: Marketing new homes on behalf of UK developers through branch network with specialist New Homes managers.
8. Home Conveyancing: In-house conveyancing services operating 7 days a week.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Connells is a UK estate agency that sells and lets residential property on behalf of homeowners, landlords, and developers through a network of approximately 180 branches. Beyond core sales and lettings, the company offers related services including residential mortgages, home conveyancing, surveys and valuations, new homes marketing, shared ownership, an online Modern Method of Auction, will writing, and home insurance, providing customers with an end-to-end property transaction offering.

Product overview

Connells is a comprehensive estate agency group offering a unified platform of residential property services through its network of around 180 branches across the UK. The core offering centers on residential sales and lettings, supported by integrated mortgage services, new homes marketing, and property surveys/valuations. Additional value-added services include Signature enhanced marketing for premium properties, Modern Method of Auction via iamsold, in-house home conveyancing operating 7 days a week, shared ownership schemes, and will writing through Redstone Wills. The company also offers land acquisition/disposal services and operates property insurance offerings. Connells is owned by Skipton Building Society and is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA registration number 302221). The group has been established since 1936 and is recognized as one of the UK's largest estate agency groups and top sellers of new homes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Signature: Enhanced marketing service for premium properties
• Modern Method of Auction

Products and services

• Residential Sales Estate agency service marketing and selling residential property on behalf of homeowners, typically on a no sale, no fee commission basis, through a network of around 180 branches.
• Residential Lettings Service letting residential property for landlords, with options covering tenant finding, full management including rent collection, and arrears handling.
• Mortgages Mortgage advice and arrangement service for home buyers, provided as a cross-sell to Connells sales customers.
• Home Conveyancing Legal property transfer service handling the legal work of buying or selling a home, offered alongside Connells sales.
• New Homes Sales and marketing service for newly built residential developments, provided to housebuilders and developers through dedicated New Homes teams.
• Signature Premium estate agency service for higher-value properties, offering tailored marketing and dedicated negotiation support.
• Shared Ownership Sales service assisting buyers purchasing shared ownership homes from housing associations and developers.
• Surveys and Valuations RICS-regulated residential property survey and valuation service including homebuyer reports and mortgage valuations, run as a separate division of Connells Group.
• Modern Method of Auction Online residential property auction service enabling sellers to auction their home via a modern, conditional bidding process run through the iamsold platform.
• Will Writing Service Will writing service available to Connells customers, typically bundled with the property transaction process.
• Insurance and Protection Home insurance and protection products sold to Connells customers around the time of their property transaction.
• Land & Development Service line within Connells Group providing land disposal, development consultancy, and acquisition support to residential property developers, housebuilders, and landowners.
• Home Finder Service Service for prospective buyers to register their requirements with Connells branches and be matched to new property listings as they come to market.

Named customers3 records

Segments5 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

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RightmovecoreTechnology or IntegrationConnells lists properties on Rightmove, the UK's largest property portal. Rightmove was founded in 2000 by Countrywide, Connells, Halifax, and Royal & Sun Alliance, and now operates as a FTSE 100 company.
• Redstone Wills LimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnells has partnered with Redstone Wills Limited to offer will writing services to customers, providing a simple and cost-effective way for customers to arrange their wills.
• Connells Survey & ValuationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnells Survey & Valuation is a subsidiary providing RICS surveys and valuations through over 350 RICS-qualified surveyors, offering in-house survey services to Connells customers.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Savills: Global real estate services firm listed on the London Stock Exchange with strong UK residential, commercial, and advisory presence. Comparable in UK residential services but operates a much broader international and commercial portfolio.
• Knight Frank: Global residential and commercial real estate consultancy with significant UK prime residential estate agency operations. Comparable in residential sales capability and customer overlap at the premium end, though broader and more international than Connells.

Emerging players

• Strike (formerly Purplebricks): UK online-focused estate agency offering fixed-fee residential sales without high street branches. Direct competitive threat to Connells on price and customer experience, illustrating the digital disruption vector facing traditional branch networks.
• Yopa: UK hybrid estate agency combining online self-service tools with local agent networks for residential sales. Represents the digital-native model competing with Connells' traditional high street approach at lower fee points.

Direct peers

• Foxtons: London-focused UK estate agency and lettings group with branch-based sales model and integrated mortgage and surveying services. Comparable core offering though narrower geographic footprint than Connells.
• LSL Property Services: UK-listed parent company of estate agency brands including Your Move, Reeds Rains, and Mortgage Advice Bureau. Highly comparable multi-brand estate agency and mortgage distribution platform competing with Connells across the same UK consumer segments.
• Spicerhaart: One of the UK's largest independent estate agency groups with a multi-brand branch network offering sales, lettings, and mortgage services. Directly comparable in scale, business model, and product breadth to Connells' high street estate agency offering.
• Belvoir Group: UK property franchise and lettings group operating networks such as Belvoir and Newton Fallowell. Comparable target market (residential sales, lettings, and financial services) with overlap in UK regional markets.
• Hunters Property Group: UK estate agency group operating a multi-branch network with sales, lettings, and mortgage services. Competes with Connells in regional UK markets using a similar branch-based service model.
• The Property Franchise Group: UK property franchise group providing sales, lettings, and mortgage services through franchisee branches. Comparable in offering and customer base though distributed via franchise model rather than corporate branches like Connells.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ConnellsEA
• Xx.com/connellsea
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/connells

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Connells