Estate agents and surveyors are facing an increasing threat from cyber criminals, according to new data from property insurance specialist Karis Insurance.
The insurer’s figures show that cyber attacks against British property services businesses rose 17% in the past year, climbing to 208 incidents in the year ending 31st December 2025, up from 178 the previous year.
Data collection risks
According to Karis Insurance, property professionals are becoming more attractive targets because they now collect extensive personal data for anti-money laundering and know-your-customer checks. This includes passports, driving licences, proof of address, bank details, mortgage information and tenancy records.
The data held by agents can be exploited in several ways. Ransomware attacks can lock businesses out of their own systems until payment is made, whilst stolen information can be used for identity theft or sold on the dark web. Information relating to live transactions also enables payment diversion fraud, where hackers substitute their own bank details for the seller’s during a purchase.
Some client lists also contain a high proportion of high net worth individuals, making the data particularly valuable to criminals.
Security gap
Ravi Sejpal, Director of Insurance at Karis Insurance, said: “In many cases, property businesses hold just as much detail about their client base as a bank would. However there are very few businesses in the property sector who have bank-level data security arrangements.”
He added: “The sort of personal data that property agencies hold about their clients could be hugely valuable if it fell into the wrong hands. These figures show that hackers are increasingly realising that.”
The rise in cyber attacks comes as the property sector undergoes broader changes, including market shifts affecting letting agents and increased scrutiny of operational practices.
The figures suggest that property businesses may need to invest in enhanced cybersecurity measures to protect client data and maintain operational continuity, particularly as digital transactions and remote working become more prevalent in the sector.
