Compare the activity, then the code
NAICS Code for Property Management
First ask whether the establishment manages real estate for others or acts as the lessor itself. For a management service, the residential or nonresidential property type is the next distinction.
2022 U.S. NAICS Census records checked
The activity changes the answer
Which work does the business primarily do?
Compare the service or product itself. The business name alone does not settle the classification.
Residential Property Managers
The establishment primarily manages residential real estate for others.
Check the boundaryApartment, residential condominium and cooperative-apartment management appear in the official index. An owner-lessor or an association formed on behalf of individual owners is a different activity.
Read the official definitionNonresidential Property Managers
The establishment primarily manages nonresidential real estate for others.
Check the boundarySeparate property management from supplying operating staff for a combination of services within a client’s facilities. That staffed-support activity is explicitly cross-referenced to 561210.
Read the official definitionLessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings
The establishment acts as lessor of residential buildings or dwellings, including property it subleases.
Check the boundaryThis is a comparison alternative, not a property-manager classification. The lessor may manage its own property; 531311 applies to managing residential real estate for others.
Read the official definitionTake the candidates into the Finder
Open the official records side by side and download a source-backed shortlist.
When to investigate another classification
These activity differences take the comparison beyond the starting candidates.
Leasing nonresidential buildings on the establishment’s own account
531120 · Lessors of Nonresidential Buildings (except Miniwarehouses)Compare the nonresidential lessor role, except miniwarehouses and self-storage. Owning or subleasing the building differs from managing it for an owner.
Census recordActing as an agent to rent property for an owner
531210 · Offices of Real Estate Agents and BrokersRenting real estate on behalf of owners is named in the managers’ cross-references. Compare the agency service rather than assuming every leasing-related task is ongoing management.
Census recordSupplying staff for a combination of facilities support services
561210 · Facilities Support ServicesThe source requires operating staff carrying out a combination of support activities. General property management without such operating staff is cross-referenced back to 531312.
Census recordAn association formed on behalf of individual property owners
813990 · Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations)The management cross-references distinguish associations of residential or nonresidential condominium owners and homeowners from a property-management establishment.
Census recordProviding a stand-alone janitorial service
561720 · Janitorial ServicesThe managers’ cross-references send individual maintenance, security and landscaping activities to their own service industry. Cleaning the building alone is not property management.
Census recordRenting self-storage space
531130 · Lessors of Miniwarehouses and Self-Storage UnitsSelf-storage leasing is a named exception in the nonresidential managers’ cross-references; it is not the general commercial-management answer.
Census recordFollow the decisive activity
Worked classification examples
Illustrative businesses for comparison, rather than individual filing advice.
A service manages apartment buildings for unrelated owners
The property is residential and the establishment manages it for others.
Compare 531311 · Residential Property ManagersA service manages office buildings for their owners without supplying support crews
The activity is nonresidential property management, rather than staffed facilities support.
Compare 531312 · Nonresidential Property ManagersAn apartment owner collects rent and maintains its own building
The owner-lessor can manage the property itself. The activity is not automatically management for others.
Compare 531110 · Lessors of Residential Buildings and DwellingsA business leases commercial office buildings and manages those rentals itself
The primary role is nonresidential lessor; its own management work does not make it a third-party manager.
Compare 531120 · Lessors of Nonresidential Buildings (except Miniwarehouses)A contractor supplies janitorial, maintenance and reception staff within a client’s facility
A combination of support services carried out by operating staff matches the facilities-support comparison.
Compare 561210 · Facilities Support ServicesAn agent is primarily hired to rent apartments on behalf of an owner
The property-management cross-references expressly distinguish rental-agency work from managing the real estate.
Compare 531210 · Offices of Real Estate Agents and BrokersRead the classification behind the comparison
Official definitions and hierarchy
The wording below is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 records. Activity explanations above are from BiznTools.
531311Residential Property Managers
2022 U.S. NAICS Census records checked
This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in managing residential real estate for others.
Open 531311 in the Census referenceHierarchy, activity phrases and cross-references
Official hierarchy
- 53Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
- 531Real Estate
- 5313Activities Related to Real Estate
- 53131Real Estate Property Managers
- 531311Residential Property Managers
Selected official activity phrases
- Apartment managers' offices
- Condominium managers' offices, residential
- Cooperative apartment managers' offices
- Managers' offices, residential condominium
- Managers' offices, residential real estate
- Managing cooperative apartments
- Managing residential condominiums
- Managing residential real estate
Official cross-references
- Establishments primarily engaged in managing nonresidential real estate for others are classified in U.S. Industry 531312, Nonresidential Property Managers;
- Establishments primarily engaged in acting as lessors of buildings used as residences or dwellings are classified in Industry 531110, Lessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings;
- Establishments formed as associations on behalf of individual residential condominium owners or homeowners are classified in Industry 813990, Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations);
- Establishments primarily engaged in renting real estate on behalf of owners are classified in Industry 531210, Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers; and
- Establishments primarily engaged in providing individual activities related to property management (e.g., maintenance, security, landscaping, etc.) are classified in the appropriate industry according to the service provided.
531312Nonresidential Property Managers
2022 U.S. NAICS Census records checked
This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in managing nonresidential real estate for others.
Open 531312 in the Census referenceHierarchy, activity phrases and cross-references
Official hierarchy
- 53Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
- 531Real Estate
- 5313Activities Related to Real Estate
- 53131Real Estate Property Managers
- 531312Nonresidential Property Managers
Selected official activity phrases
- Commercial property managing
- Commercial real estate property managers' offices
- Condominium managers' offices, commercial
- Managers' offices, commercial condominium
- Managers' offices, commercial real estate
- Managers' offices, nonresidential real estate
- Managing commercial condominiums
- Managing commercial real estate
Official cross-references
- Establishments primarily engaged in managing residential real estate for others are classified in U.S. Industry 531311, Residential Property Managers;
- Establishments primarily engaged in acting as lessors of buildings (except miniwarehouses and self-storage units) that are not used as residences or dwellings are classified in Industry 531120, Lessors of Nonresidential Buildings (except Miniwarehouses);
- Establishments primarily engaged in renting or leasing space for self-storage are classified in Industry 531130, Lessors of Miniwarehouses and Self-Storage Units;
- Establishments formed as associations on behalf of individual nonresidential condominium owners are classified in Industry 813990, Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations);
- Establishments primarily engaged in providing operating staff to perform a combination of services to support operations within a client's facilities are classified in Industry 561210, Facilities Support Services;
- Establishments primarily engaged in renting real estate on behalf of owners are classified in Industry 531210, Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers;
- Establishments primarily engaged in providing individual activities related to property management (e.g., maintenance, security, landscaping, etc.) are classified in the appropriate industry according to the service provided; and
- Establishments primarily engaged in operating short-term lodging facilities, such as hotels, motels, casino hotels, and bed-and-breakfast inns are classified in Industry Group 7211, Traveler Accommodation.
531110Lessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings
2022 U.S. NAICS Census records checked
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in acting as lessors of buildings used as residences or dwellings, such as single-family homes, apartment buildings, and town homes. Included in this industry are owner-lessors and establishments renting real estate and then acting as lessors in subleasing it to others. The establishments in this industry may manage the property themselves or have another establishment manage it for them.
Open 531110 in the Census referenceHierarchy, activity phrases and cross-references
Official hierarchy
- 53Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
- 531Real Estate
- 5311Lessors of Real Estate
- 53111Lessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings
- 531110Lessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings
Selected official activity phrases
- Apartment building rental or leasing
- Apartment hotel rental or leasing
- Apartment rental or leasing
- Building, apartment, rental or leasing
- Building, residential, rental or leasing
- Cottage rental or leasing
- Duplex houses (i.e., single-family) rental or leasing
- Dwelling rental or leasing
Official cross-references
- Managing residential real estate for others--are classified in U.S. Industry 531311, Residential Property Managers; and
- Providing short-term lodging in facilities, such as hotels, motels, casino hotels, and bed-and-breakfast inns--are classified in Industry Group 7211, Traveler Accommodation.
Check the original source files
Definitions, titles, activity phrases and exclusions come from the same 2022 U.S. edition.