The new year has just begun, and the property market is already seeing significant change. Residential property sales and lettings teams across the country are facing challenges.
Sales teams are navigating a tighter market where confidence is only beginning to return thanks to falling inflation and mortgage rates, while the speculation over higher property taxes mostly subsided, after some of the measures were excluded from the Budget.
We’re also gearing up for the biggest change to lettings in decades. The Renters’ Rights Act will reshape the market, including a raft of stricter compliance requirements and abolishing Section 21 from May.
Consumer behaviour is shifting too. Buyers are expecting more. Many are bypassing portals and starting hyper-specific and localised searches using AI to find their dream home faster.
RELATIONSHIPS MATTER
Expectations of increased speed, transparency and personalised service are rising, and agencies need to respond without losing sight of what matters most – their relationships with the sellers, buyers, landlords, tenants and other property businesses that trust them with their current or future home.
Agencies like Nicol & Co show what this looks like in practice: with all client and property data in one place, any team member can pick up a conversation with their customers seamlessly, ensuring that personal experience every time.
The shift in consumer behaviour and new regulations are a lot for agencies to manage in 2026 but the fundamentals have not changed.
People still need homes. Vendors still want clarity and confidence in your sales process. Landlords still want reassurance that their investments are managed well. Buyers and tenants still want guidance and trust during what can be one of life’s most stressful moments.
Thankfully, every market change brings opportunities for growth. Agencies that adapt quickly and meet rising customer expectations will be the ones that turn these changes into real success.
The challenge for 2026 is how your agency delivers for your customers. After more than 30 years in the industry, I can tell you that success will depend on having the right team, supported by the right tech so your agency has the freedom to focus on building those relationships, winning instructions, nurturing new and existing landlords, and matching buyers and tenants to the right properties.
PARTNERS IN PROPERTY
That is where having the right technology partner can make all the difference to your 2026. Having worked with estate and letting agencies of all sizes across the UK, I know the same truth holds firm: people do business with people. Technology should never replace that human connection – it should amplify it.
The right PropTech partner brings more than a platform; they bring decades of property experience from people with real industry knowledge who know the market, what is changing and how to adapt their solution set to make your life easier and help you meet your client’s expectations.
UNDER ONE ROOF
Combine the right partnership with the right technology, and you’re already off to a strong start to 2026. Find a platform that brings everything together: Your properties, landlords, and applicants.
When all your data sits in one trusted, interconnected place, you can understand more about your market and your business and uncover opportunities that would otherwise stay hidden.
And we’ve seen how a single connected platform has helped drive customers to success. Alexander and Co use Reapit-integrated tools to run communications campaigns across sales and lettings from a single dashboard, saving hours each month and giving their team more time to focus on meaningful conversations with clients.
Hat and Home really show the power of this data-driven insight.
With all your data in one place, one end-to-end platform can power agency insights. Hat and Home really show the power of this data-driven insight.
Thanks to the right platform, within minutes of onboarding a new landlord or vendor’s property, their team can identify dozens of high-potential tenants and buyers who they know are primed to purchase at exactly the right time.
AI is already changing the way people search for property and helping with tasks like automating and drafting property descriptions, but its real power lies in learning from your data and working securely within your agency.
TRUSTED AI
Not bolt-on tools that skim the surface, but trusted AI that learns how your business works and acts like an in-house consultant.
It can highlight which buyers are right for that property you haven’t listed yet, which landlords to call first when a prime investment opportunity comes up, or where the next sales instruction is likely to come from. It turns raw data into insight, helping your team work faster on the hot leads that turn into deals.
Ultimately, efficiency is not only about saving time. It is about creating capacity. When admin is automated and systems talk to each other, your people have more time to do what they do best. Build relationships, close deals and grow revenue.
CHOOSE WISELY
Choosing who you partner with and what technology you use can make or break your year, but whoever you trust with your technology, it shouldn’t replace the human touch.
It should amplify it. The examples I’ve shared above prove the point. Technology should enhance the personal service your people provide, giving agents the clarity and confidence to deliver a tailored experience at scale. Agencies that embrace this will not just survive 2026. They will thrive.
