AI will insist that agents work faster

Fears that AI will make letting agents obsolete are largely fiction. But its ability to automate repetitive work and improve operational efficiency is very real, and could fundamentally change the role of the property professional, as well as what landlords and tenants expect from their agents. 

Propoly has identified a number of areas where the impact of AI on the property industry is already becoming clear. 

AI could transform tenancy progression

One of the clearest opportunities is tenancy progression. Referencing, fraud checks, document reviews, compliance, rent protection and professional support have traditionally been handled across multiple systems and teams. AI can bring that information together, identify potential risks and recommend the next action, potentially turning work that once took hours or days into a process completed in minutes. 

For agents, that could mean less administration and more time to focus on the parts of the role where human judgement and expertise matter most. 

AI-generated complaints are creating a new challenge for agents

AI isn't just changing how agents work. It is changing how tenants interact with them. 

Tenants can now use AI to produce lengthy complaints and legal arguments almost instantly. While this can give consumers greater access to information, it can also create additional work for agents when those arguments contain inaccurate, outdated or irrelevant legal references.

That highlights another important distinction between AI fact and fiction: just because AI sounds confident does not mean it is right.

In a highly regulated sector such as lettings, the accuracy of complaints and any response to those depends on a myriad of factors, including jurisdiction, tenancy type, commencement dates, changes in legislation, etc. AI-generated information therefore needs to be checked carefully before it is relied upon, particularly where the consequences of getting it wrong can be significant for an agent, landlord or tenant. 

Maintenance could be one of AI's biggest practical wins

AI can help assess incoming maintenance reports, identify missing information, triage cases, categorise issues and direct them to the appropriate contractor. It can also summarise lengthy email chains, giving property managers the key facts without requiring them to work through every message. For tenants, that could mean faster responses. For agents, it could mean less time spent on administration and more time managing the issues that genuinely require their attention.

AI doesn't automatically remove bias

Another common assumption is that AI will make property decisions more objective. Propoly says this is also fiction. Where AI is used for tenant selection, referencing or risk assessment, there is a possibility that existing biases within data or decision-making processes could be reproduced or amplified. Human oversight therefore becomes particularly important when AI is used in decisions that could affect whether someone gets a home.

Tenant referencing is where AI becomes more consequential

There is a significant difference between using AI to write a property description and using it to help decide who should rent a property. AI can support income verification, fraud detection, affordability assessments and risk analysis, but property professionals still need to understand the information behind a decision rather than treating an automated output as gospel. 

This distinction is vital because the technology's role can move quickly from administrative assistance to influencing decisions with real consequences for consumers.

AI could give smaller agencies a bigger competitive edge

Generative AI can give smaller businesses access to capabilities that have traditionally required dedicated teams, helping individual negotiators and property managers handle communications, administration and information more efficiently. 

For the industry, Propoly believes the most effective model will be AI-assisted rather than AI-controlled property management. 

An agent might use AI to summarise a 30-email maintenance conversation, for example, but should still make the judgement on liability. Equally, AI might flag an anomaly in a tenant application without automatically deciding that the applicant should be rejected. 

The biggest change could simply be speed

As AI makes it possible to produce an email, answer a question or summarise information almost instantly, tenants and landlords may become less willing to accept long waits for responses from their agents. 

What was once considered an acceptable response time could increasingly feel slow in a world where information and communication can be generated in seconds. 

The competitive advantage, therefore, may not belong to the businesses using the most AI, but to those that integrate it effectively into their workflows while maintaining accuracy, accountability and good service. 

Sim Sekhon, Group CEO at Propoly, commented: 

"AI isn't going to make letting agents disappear. It is going to make waiting disappear. 

The technology is exceptionally good at handling the repetitive work that slows people down, whether that's reviewing documents, checking information, summarising communications or identifying the next action in a tenancy. 

Take referencing. What has traditionally involved information being spread across different systems and processes can increasingly be connected and assessed in minutes rather than hours or days. That's where AI can make a real difference to property professionals. 

But there is an important distinction between using AI to help make a decision and allowing AI to make the decision for you. In property, a confident answer isn't necessarily a correct one, and the consequences of getting something wrong can be significant. 

The winners won't be the agents who hand everything over to AI. They'll be the ones who use it to become faster, more informed and more responsive, while keeping people firmly in the loop."