![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SEC_263767878-4a40.jpg\")
\n\t\tLetting agents are starting to use AI \u2013 but what does it mean for renters? (Picture: Metro\/Getty)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tLetting agents are starting to use AI \u2013 but what does it mean for renters? (Picture: Metro\/Getty)<\/p>\n
When I started looking for my first rented flat<\/a> in London<\/a> four years ago, I was so pressed for time that I ended up signing online without viewing it.<\/p>\n The situation was less than ideal, but I had a job starting imminently. I\u2019d spent weeks flitting to and from viewings from my mum\u2019s Hertfordshire<\/a> house, at great cost, too. I was steadily running out of options.<\/p>\n After picking up my keys, I realised it was a complete catfish. Mould in the bathroom<\/a> had been sneakily hidden from view in the online listing, and my room was much smaller than I\u2019d anticipated. <\/p>\n The kitchen floor was unfinished, with a loose piece of lino by the hobs that ended up being an eternal trip hazard, and the whole flat had an uneasy clinical feel that was impossible to detect via the Whatsapp video.<\/p>\n Letting agents and landlords have long used sneaky editing techniques like quick cuts, fish-eye lenses and Photoshop to make properties seem a little bit more appealing, but now, AI <\/a>is enabling a whole new level of smoke and mirrors.<\/p>\n \t\t You might have seen reports of estage agents<\/a> using AI when trying to sell a home. Think touching up the garden, removing unwanted and unappealing items from view, or even inserting non-existent furniture into an empty room.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tReady to start your homebuying journey?\t\t\t<\/p>\n You can access completely fee-free mortgage advice with London & Country (L&C) Mortgages, a partner of Metro. Customers benefit from:<\/p>\n \u2013 Award winning service from the UK\u2019s leading mortgage broker<\/p>\n \u2013 Expert advisors on hand 7 days a week<\/p>\n \u2013 Access to 1000s of mortgage deals from across the market<\/p>\n Unlike many mortgage brokers, L&C won\u2019t charge you a fee for their advice.<\/p>\n Find out how much you could borrow online<\/a><\/p>\n Mortgage service provided by London & Country Mortgages (L&C), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (registered number: 143002). The FCA does not regulate most Buy to Let mortgages. Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.<\/p>\n But now, letting agents are diving in, with potentially greater consequences: few people buy houses without seeing them, but plenty of renters like me cough up deposits remotely.<\/p>\n How many letting agents are using AI?<\/p>\n At the moment, not all letting agents are adopting it, but a survey conducted by Inventory Base<\/a> found that 12% have started using it \u2018extensively\u2019 and 15% are using it \u2018to some extent.\u2019 <\/p>\n Almost three-quarters (72%) are increasingly concerned about the \u2018loss of human touch in tenant relationships\u2019 \u2013 and 36% feel that AI specifically is disrupting the traditional \u2018landlord-tenant dynamic.\u2019<\/p>\n Worryingly, though, 76% of the letting agents who took part in the research reported that they hadn\u2019t received any formal training on using AI both responsibly and, crucially, legally.<\/p>\n As Marc von Grundherr, director of Benham and Reeves tells Metro, AI is simply the \u2018latest tool in the market\u2019s marketing arsenal.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018For letting agents, particularly smaller firms with more limited marketing budgets, AI has allowed them to significantly enhance the quality and efficiency of their marketing efforts,\u2019 Marc shares, adding that it might enable them to produce \u2018high quality images, floor plans, and virtual tours quickly,\u2019 all at a fraction of the cost of traditional photography services.<\/p>\n \u2018Capitalising on the housing crisis\u2019<\/p>\n Many renters are already navigating tumultuous conditions, whether that\u2019s moving more frequently than homeowners (a previous study found that, in London, tenants are relocating every 2.53 years<\/a> on average), shelling out as much as half of their monthly salary<\/a> for their rent, or begging landlords to fix unresolved and sometimes even hazardous repairs.<\/p>\n Posting on the r\/HousingUK<\/a> Reddit thread, @Polka7000 alleged that, over the last few months, they\u2019ve noticed letting agents using AI to subtly alter their photos \u2013 and not just to paint an enticing picture of a sunny blue sky outside.<\/p>\n \u2018Some of the examples I\u2019ve seen have involved completely changing the colour of a room (they made an 80s yellow [and] beige bathroom look completely white and modern), and also making apartments look cleaner, tidier, and taking away defects,\u2019 they penned.<\/p>\n In the comments, others noted similar issues \u2013 including the jarring use of AI in property descriptions. @NetworkGreen1242 said that they\u2019re \u2018absolutely sick\u2019 of seeing it, adding that \u2018anything that mentions rooms \u201cseamlessly flowing\u201d into each other or that the kitchen is \u201cideal for culinary enthusiasts\u201d is a massive flapping red flag.\u2019<\/p>\n In their view, these listings are doing nothing but \u2018capitalising on the housing crisis.\u2019<\/p>\n Nick Ballard is head organiser at ACORN, a community-based union fighting for the rights of working-class people, including tenants, workers, and residents.<\/p>\n He tells Metro that letting agents using AI is a \u2018deeply concerning trend,\u2019 particularly in \u2018areas like London that often require tenants to skip viewings in order to have any chance of successfully renting the place.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018Using AI photos means that people could end up moving into somewhere that looks nothing like the images they\u2019d actually viewed, which is completely unacceptable,\u2019 he adds.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s yet another example of how landlords and letting agents exploit people who are desperately looking for a place to live. The fact that this is becoming normal practice highlights how the rental market is stacked against the people who actually need it \u2013 renters.\u2019<\/p>\n To an extent, Marc believes that AI can help renters, who often face the stress-inducing task of finding a new property in a short timeframe. <\/p>\n \u2018In these situations, AI-generated images or virtual staging can offer a more realistic representation of a property, helping tenants make informed decisions before committing to a lease,\u2019 Marc says.<\/p>\n However, he believes that transparency is absolutely fundamental.<\/p>\n \u2018Letting agents must ensure that the use of AI does not deceive potential renters. It\u2019s essential that agents are upfront when AI has been used, particularly when it comes to representations of the property or its features,\u2019 he concludes.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s a matter of trust and integrity \u2013 AI should enhance the marketing experience, not distort it.\u2019<\/p>\n Do you have a story to share?<\/p>\n Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\tComments Arrow Arrow![\"Close-up](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2200393148.jpg\")
\n\t\tAI could present more challenges for renters (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Futuristic](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-1659862626.jpg\")
\n\t\tThere are concerns that the use of AI could \u2018exploit\u2019 renters (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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