Agents are getting pickier about PropTech – and embracing AI

Technology plays a central and growing role in agency operations, according to PayProp’s newest State of the Rental Industry survey report.  

The majority of respondents (74.1%) report increasing automation within their agencies over the past year.

Many key functions are now widely automated, especially tenant vetting (81.1%), accounting (77.7%), and marketing and communications (63.5%).  

Most property professionals now see automation as both more cost-effective and more productive than increasing headcount.

PropTech priorities, and what they tell us about AI adoption

At the same time, agencies are becoming more selective, with 73% indicating they will only pay more for technology if it clearly supports business growth.

After that business case is in place, the top priority when choosing PropTech is protecting client funds, with 64.1% of agents ranking it in their top three. System security follows closely behind at 58.7%.

This is why so many agents choose PropTech platforms that prioritise security, like PayProp. And it may also be why AI adoption in the industry has been fast, but limited.

Estate and rental agents see the value in AI: 39.1% of them currently use it at work, and 53.1% expect their workplaces to invest in it this year. And a strong 61.8% majority of respondents believe that AI will make their business more productive.

However, current use cases are mostly in marketing and communications, such as writing property descriptions, rather than accelerating core operational processes.

For now, a lack of trust is limiting how deeply agencies embed AI. Only 19% of respondents said that they would trust AI with their business data, compared to 24.8% who wouldn’t. This is the biggest barrier to AI adoption. Even so, most agents are still undecided.  

For more on agencies’ use of tech in 2026, download the latest State of the Rental Industry survey report.