Almost seven in ten estate and letting agents now use artificial intelligence regularly, but most are barely scratching the surface of what the technology can do, according to new research.
A survey of 250 agents by property software provider Alto found that 69% use AI regularly or daily. However, 85% use it for no more than four tasks, largely centred on writing and administration.
Property descriptions remain the most common use, with 67% of agents turning to AI to produce listings.
More than half (53%) use it for emails and general communications, while 37% rely on it for administration and 35% for marketing and social media.
Beyond these everyday tasks, adoption drops sharply.
Just 11% use AI for prospecting, 10% for valuation preparation and 5% for compliance. Only 4% use the technology for sales progression.
The findings suggest that while AI has become commonplace in estate agency, relatively few businesses have integrated it into their wider operations.
A fifth of agents see significantly greater time savings
Alto’s research identified a marked difference between agents using AI for basic tasks and those applying it more widely.
Agents who use AI mainly for writing and administration save an average of 1.3 hours per week.
Those using it across at least two operational areas save 3.8 hours.
The most advanced 20% report savings of around five hours per person each week, almost four times the figure for agents using AI primarily for writing.
That group accounts for 48% of all the time savings recorded in the survey. By comparison, the least engaged 40% account for just 10%.
Agency size appears to make little difference.
Half of the most advanced users operate single-branch businesses, while 35% run between two and five branches. Just 15% have six or more offices.
Leadership, however, appears to play a greater role.
Six in ten agents in the most advanced group said management had made a deliberate decision to introduce AI. That compares with 24% among the least advanced half of respondents.
Across the wider survey, 46% said staff had adopted AI independently. Another 14% said nobody was driving its introduction.
Just 6% credited their software provider.
Agents shift attention to compliance and prospecting
The research also suggests agents are beginning to look beyond AI-generated property descriptions.
Asked where the technology could make the greatest difference in 2027, 58% identified administration as their main priority.
Lead response and qualification followed at 39%, ahead of listing creation (38%), compliance and certificates (36%) and prospecting (32%).
Compliance recorded one of the largest gaps between current use and future interest.
Only 5% of respondents currently use AI for compliance, yet 36% see it as an area where the technology could make a difference next year.
Prospecting shows a similar pattern, with current adoption at 11% against 32% identifying it as a future priority.
By contrast, 67% already use AI for property descriptions, but only 38% consider listing creation a priority for 2027.
AI spending set to rise despite concerns
Half of the agents surveyed expect to increase their AI spending over the next 12 months.
None expects to reduce it.
However, concerns remain about the potential impact on customer service and accuracy.
More than three-quarters (76%) worry that AI could undermine the personal relationship between agents and clients. Almost two-thirds (64%) have concerns about accuracy.
Only 19% fear falling behind competitors, although that figure rises to 45% among agencies operating six or more branches.
The survey also found that 51% of agents know about the AI capabilities already available within their existing software.
Riccardo Iannucci-Dawson, chief executive of Alto, said the findings highlighted a growing divide between agencies experimenting with AI and those incorporating it into everyday operations.
He commented: “A fifth of agents have already built a measurable advantage, and it isn’t because they’re bigger or have more budget. Someone at the top decided where AI would be used and gave the team a system that could do it.”
He argued that generating property descriptions offered limited competitive advantage because the technology was widely available.
“Writing a better property description is useful, but every agent on the high street can do that with the same tool for the same money, so it isn’t an advantage.”
Iannucci-Dawson believes agents will increasingly focus on using AI to handle enquiries, compliance and sales progression.
He added: “2027 is the year this stops being an experiment. The agencies that decide now where AI fits will spend next year pulling further ahead, and the longer the rest wait, the more ground there is to make up.”
The findings point to a sector where AI adoption is widespread, but the extent to which agents use it to improve operational efficiency still varies considerably.
