Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by Mortgage Strategy. Read the original article for full details.

AI Will Not Replace Letting Agents, But Will Make Them Work Faster, Says Propoly

Artificial intelligence is unlikely to replace letting agents, but it could change how they work and raise expectations for faster service, according to insight from Propoly. The firm says the technology is more likely to replace individual tasks than entire jobs, despite widespread concern that AI could make human workers obsolete.

What AI Could Change in Tenancy Progression

By automating repetitive work, AI could significantly change the role of property professionals. It could also lead landlords and tenants to expect quicker responses and better service from their agents.

Tenancy progression is one area where AI could have a major impact. Referencing, fraud checks, document reviews, compliance, rent protection and professional support are often handled across different systems and teams. AI could bring this information together, identify potential risks and suggest next steps, with tasks that previously took hours or even days potentially completed in minutes.

For letting agents, this could reduce administration and leave more time for work that requires human judgement and expertise.

Maintenance and Tenant Communications

Maintenance is another area where AI could provide practical benefits. The technology could assess incoming maintenance reports, identify missing information, categorise problems, prioritise cases and send them to the appropriate contractor.

AI is also changing how tenants communicate with agents. Tenants can now use AI to produce lengthy complaints and legal arguments almost instantly. While this can make information more accessible, it can create extra work when it contains inaccurate, outdated or irrelevant legal references. Propoly says this shows a key limitation of AI: a confident-sounding answer is not necessarily a correct one, so AI-generated information needs to be checked carefully before it is relied upon, particularly when mistakes could have significant consequences for agents, landlords or tenants.

Bias and Human Oversight

When AI is used for tenant selection, referencing or risk assessments, existing biases in the data or decision-making processes could be repeated or even amplified. Human oversight will therefore remain important when AI is involved in decisions that could affect whether someone gets a home.

The Competitive Advantage

Response times that were once considered acceptable could increasingly seem slow when information can be produced within seconds. Propoly says the advantage may not come from using the most AI, but from integrating the technology effectively into existing workflows while maintaining accuracy, accountability and good service.

Propoly group chief executive Sim Sekhon said: "AI isn't going to make letting agents disappear. It is going to make waiting disappear. 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."

According to the latest figures from the ONS, the average monthly private rent in the UK was £1,400 in August 2026 — £52 (3.8%) higher than 12 months earlier.