Real estate activities (SIC division 68)
Division 68 of the UK SIC 2007 list. It holds 6 codes, listed in full below with the number of active UK companies filed under each.
What sits in division 68
Real estate is one of the busiest corners of the public record, and most of it is not estate agency. The dominant code is 68209, letting and operating of own or leased property. Next comes 68100, buying and selling own real estate. Between them they hold the huge population of buy-to-let vehicles and property SPVs. Many were incorporated to hold one building. Fee-based managing agents sit under 68320. High street and online agencies use 68310. Housing association landlords use 68201.
So many entries are single-property vehicles that segmentation matters more here than almost anywhere else. Mortgage brokers, bridging lenders, insurance intermediaries, accountants and block management software firms all work the landlord codes. They watch for new incorporations, which often mean a purchase is under way. Agencies under 68310 buy different things: portals, proptech, photography and compliance services. A filing deadline hints that the company may switch accountant. Growth at a company under 68320 usually means it has won new management instructions.
How to read a division 68 code
A UK SIC code is five digits and division 68 is the first two of them. Everything filed under 68 shares those digits: all 6 codes below begin 68, then the third digit narrows to a group, the fourth to a class and the fifth to the subclass a company actually picks. Division 68 sits inside section L, real estate activities, which is the broadest tier of the classification. So a code is read left to right, from an industry down to a specific activity.
More on how division 68 codes are built
Companies choose their own codes at incorporation and can change them on any confirmation statement, and Companies House does not check the answer. A company may list up to four. That is worth knowing before you treat any division total as a headcount: the numbers here are what companies said about themselves, on the August 2026 register, and the largest single code in this division is 68209, other letting and operating of own or leased real estate.
Working division 68 as a list
Division 68 holds 6 codes and 916,235 active companies between them. 68209 is the largest at 49 per cent and the top three take 93 per cent, with the rest spread across the remaining 3 codes. That is balanced enough that the division is a reasonable unit to work, though the leading code alone will usually give you a cleaner list.
More on working division 68
A caveat that matters more in some divisions than others: a company may register up to four SIC codes, and the figures below count every position, not just the first. A business filed under two codes in this division appears under both. Treat the totals as reach rather than a headcount, and if you need a clean list, filter to companies whose FIRST code sits in the division. Every company you pull carries the Companies House record, the director's name, a verified website and a verified email, and the ones we cannot complete are not charged.
Every SIC code in division 68
68100, Buying and selling of own real estate68201, Renting and operating of Housing Association real estate68202, Letting and operating of conference and exhibition centres68209, Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate68310, Real estate agencies68320, Management of real estate on a fee or contract basisProspecting this division
Division 68 companies, as leads
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Division 68 questions
What SIC code should a buy-to-let property company use?
Landlords letting property they own normally use 68209. Companies buying to sell rather than to rent fit 68100. You choose the codes yourself at incorporation, or change them later on a confirmation statement (CS01). No approval is needed. You can hold up to 4 codes if the company both lets and trades. Lenders often prefer to see the code that matches the loan purpose.
How do I separate landlords from letting agents in division 68?
Use the code split. Code 68310 marks estate agencies. Code 68320 marks agents managing property for a fee. Codes 68100 and 68209 mark companies dealing in or letting their own assets, so landlords and SPVs. Codes are self-selected, so some overlap exists. Pair the code with other signals, such as company name, officer count and website quality. That gives a much cleaner list.
Find companies across division 68
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