A new survey suggests that most UK homebuyers and sellers still prefer speaking to an actual estate agent rather than using AI during key stages of the property transaction process.
Research from Moneypenny, based on responses from 2,000 adults, found that 83% would rather deal with a human when booking a valuation or making an offer. Just 6% said they would prefer to use AI for these types of interactions.
The findings indicate greater acceptance of AI in lower-stakes parts of the journey. Around 31% of respondents said they would be comfortable using AI for general property queries, while 28% would be open to using it to book a viewing and 18% to book a valuation.
Comfort levels fall further when transactions become more involved. Only 17% said they would be happy to use AI to chase updates on a sale, 16% for updates on a purchase, and 8% for making or accepting an offer. Around 40% said they would not be comfortable using AI at any stage of the property process.
The research highlights differences across age groups. Nine in ten Baby Boomers said they prefer speaking to a person, compared with 75% of Millennials. More than half of Baby Boomers (53%) said they would not use AI in any part of the property process, compared with 16% of Gen Z respondents.
There were also variations in attitudes to specific tasks. Around 23% of Gen Z said they would be comfortable using AI to make or accept an offer, compared with 12% of Millennials and 7% of Gen X.
A gender split was also recorded, with 47% of women saying they would not be comfortable using AI at any stage of the process, compared with around a third of men. Men were more likely to accept AI for transactional updates, such as chasing progress on a purchase.
Regional differences were also identified. Preference for human interaction was highest in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the East of England at 87%, compared with 79% in London and Wales. Scotland also recorded the highest proportion of respondents (48%) who said they would not use AI at all in the property process.
In contrast, respondents in London, Yorkshire and Humberside and the South East were more likely to say they would use AI to make or accept an offer, at 11% in each region.
Moneypenny said the findings suggest continued caution around AI in high-value or high-stakes property decisions, despite growing familiarity with the technology in other areas of the buying process
Jesper With-Fogstrup Group CEO of Moneypenny, said: “Property transactions are deeply personal, often emotional, and always high-stakes, so it’s no surprise that people still want human reassurance at key moments. While AI is transforming how businesses operate and has a valuable role in handling routine enquiries, it cannot replace the trust built through human interaction.
“For estate agents, the opportunity lies in getting the balance right: using AI voice agents for more routine, lower stakes calls for efficiency, while making sure that when it really matters, clients are speaking to a real person. That’s why we believe the future of property communication isn’t people or AI – it’s the intelligent blend of both.”
