Property agents are increasingly using artificial intelligence to process tenant complaints that have themselves been generated using AI tools, according to industry professionals.
Greg Tsuman, a past president of ARLA Propertymark, reported a notable increase in complaints that appear to have been drafted with AI assistance. “With the rise of AI, we have seen a spike in complex and intricate complaints. We are now having to spend time and effort addressing multipart points and complaints that are sometimes without grounds,” he said.
Tsuman noted that AI programmes can generate detailed complaints that would previously have required significant time to compile. He suggested that AI tools may be “user-biased” and can potentially lead complainants to believe grievances have merit when they may not.
Processing AI-generated correspondence
To manage the increased workload, some agencies have adapted their procedures. Tsuman’s firm now uses AI to summarise and analyse lengthy complaint documents, though human expertise is retained for formulating responses. “We have now started using AI to help summarise and analyse the substance of potential correspondence because if you are looking at a document that spans several pages of A4, that quickly becomes a very time-intensive task,” he explained.
The development comes as rental void periods have declined to 21 days following recent legislation, placing additional operational pressures on letting agents.
Tsuman suggested that The Property Ombudsman’s rules could potentially require complainants to disclose AI use in correspondence, though he emphasised this should not prevent complaints from proceeding.
Legislative confusion
Ben Stokes, president-elect of ARLA Propertymark and a lettings director, reported similar experiences. He noted that AI-generated complaints often incorporate information from proposed legislation, such as the Renters’ Reform Bill, which may no longer be accurate or applicable.
“It can be difficult to navigate AI complaints that someone has not written, especially when the legal stance is not correct,” Stokes said. “The biggest thing we are finding is that AI tools are empowering people to complain about things and blow small situations out of proportion.”
The issue affects agents already managing other operational challenges, including implementation challenges around ground rent caps and evolving regulatory requirements.
Industry implications
The trend highlights how AI adoption is creating new operational considerations for property management firms. While the technology offers efficiency gains in processing complaints, it also generates additional work by enabling more detailed and frequent tenant grievances.
Neither Propertymark nor The Property Ombudsman have announced formal guidance on handling AI-generated complaints or disclosure requirements.
