AI. Get On Board or Get Left Behind: What Every Letting Agent Needs to Know Now
AI isn’t coming. It’s already here.
And if you’re in lettings or property management and haven’t started preparing, you’re already at risk of being left behind.
In the latest episode of The Viking Chats, our co-founder Kristjan Byfield sat down with long-time PropTech innovator Mal McCallion (PrimeLocation, Zoopla, The Guild, GetAgent, ModelProp) to unpack what the AI revolution really means for UK letting agents and why it’s time to act.
This isn’t just about innovation. It’s about survival, performance, and seizing competitive advantage in a rapidly shifting market.
AI in Lettings: The Next Industrial Revolution
“This is our generation’s industrial revolution.” – Kristjan Byfield
Mal compares the AI moment to the early days of the internet: misunderstood, underestimated, and about to explode. But while the internet streamlined how agents worked, AI is set to transform what agents even do.
From property search and lead conversion to negotiations and maintenance handling, every part of the rental journey is being rewritten.
The key takeaway? This isn’t a drill.
From SEO to AEO: Agents Must Shift Their Strategy
Traditional search engine optimisation (SEO) is already losing ground to Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO).
Why?
Because users, landlords and tenants are increasingly turning to ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and other LLMs to find solutions, services, and suppliers. They’re not searching by location or scrolling through pages. They’re asking questions and describing the kind of agent they want.
“Landlords are telling AI what they want in a letting agent, and getting matched with businesses like our London letting agency base.” – Kristjan Byfield
If your agency isn’t visible through conversational AI, you’re invisible to a growing chunk of your future clients.
Smart Tech: What Should Letting Agents Be Doing Right Now?
Mal and Kristjan outlined some clear, actionable steps letting agencies can take today:
1. Audit Your Current Tech Stack
Identify inefficiencies: What repetitive tasks are stealing time from your team?
Consider voice AI, smart booking tools, or inquiry automation.
2. Challenge Your Suppliers
Ask each supplier: How are you using AI?
If there’s no answer, or no plan, it’s a red flag.
3. Start Small, But Start Smart
Try ChatGPT’s deep research for property searches or operational planning.
Explore affordable AI-led platforms like AskVinny which leverages other tech such as WeFixNow.
4. Stop Waiting for Perfect
Good tech used well beats perfect tech never used.
95% automation and occasional human intervention still beats 3-day response times and unanswered leads.
How The Depositary Is Leading the Way
We’ve been planning how to effectively leverage AI within our platform for nearly two years, not to replace agents, but to amplify their efficiency, performance, and consistency.
Our upcoming AI-powered negotiation assistant is designed to:
Speed up end-of-tenancy negotiations
Identify and replicate best practices across your team
Reduce inconsistencies and improve tenant experiences
Using data from over 60,000 tenancies, we’re training our AI to help agents:
Achieve >90% retention of proposed deductions
Resolve disputes faster and more empathetically
Provide landlords with clear, justifiable outcomes
Because great AI = faster resolution, lower stress, and stronger client retention. In short, it's easier, faster, better!
Why This Matters for Senior Leaders
If you’re a lettings director, operations lead, or business owner, the AI conversation isn’t just about efficiency. It’s about:
Attracting and retaining top talent (less admin = happier staff)
Future-proofing your agency against platform shifts and customer expectations
Delivering scalable, authentic customer experiences without adding headcount
Protecting margins in a rising-cost, compliance-heavy environment
As Mal put it:
“Machines should do machine jobs. Humans should do human jobs.”
Final Word: Authenticity at Scale
Great agency work has always been about people. But to free your people to do what they’re great at—relationship-building, local knowledge, trust, you need to clear the path.
Let AI carry the admin. Let your team carry the brand.
Ready to See the Future of Lettings?
We’re not just talking about the future. We’re building it - today.
Book a free demo of The Depositary - See how AI-powered tenancy conclusion can transform your workflow, impress your landlords, and empower your team.
