Nearly half of all enquiries received by estate and letting agencies arrive outside normal working hours, according to data released by proptech firm LightWork AI.
Analysis of calls, emails and portal enquiries handled by the company’s AI assistant during July, August and September 2026 found that 43% arrived outside the 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday window. This comprised 28% of phone calls and 49% of emails and portal enquiries.
Pressure on agency staff
The findings add to concerns around workload and staff retention in the property sector. LightWork cited research from Hays indicating that 65% of property and built environment professionals work beyond their contracted hours, while separate data from Alto found that six in 10 estate and letting agencies report burnout among their teams.
Full-time estate agents earn an average of £35,990 annually, according to ONS figures, approximately 26% below the UK full-time average.
Leonard Charlton, co-founder of LightWork AI, said: “When we started handling calls and emails for agencies, we expected some after-hours demand. We didn’t expect it to be the nearly as much as it did. For many branches, most of the enquiries come in when the office is closed.”
He added: “The result is that [agents] never really finish work. They’re under pressure, they’re dealing with clients in times of high stress, and then their evenings and weekends disappear too. It’s no surprise the industry is struggling to keep good people.”
Technology adoption in agencies
The data comes as agencies face mounting pressure to respond to enquiries around the clock. The nature of estate agency work means staff often feel unable to ignore out-of-hours contact, as enquiries can range from potential instructions to urgent maintenance issues.
LightWork’s AI assistant is designed to handle routine enquiries, qualify leads, book viewings and triage maintenance requests outside normal hours. The company states that agencies can set their own parameters for when matters are escalated to staff members.
The development follows significant investment in AI platforms by property groups, as the sector seeks to address operational challenges and staff retention issues.
The findings also reflect broader changes in consumer behaviour, with research showing homeowners increasingly conducting property research outside traditional hours. This shift in client expectations has created additional demands on agency resources, particularly as the industry faces ongoing recruitment and retention challenges.
The data suggests that agencies may need to reassess their operational models to balance client service expectations with staff wellbeing, as out-of-hours enquiries continue to represent a substantial portion of overall client contact.
