Three quarters of homebuyers expect artificial intelligence to play a role in the homebuying process, but UK consumers remain more cautious than their counterparts in the United States and Canada, according to new research from Cotality.
The study, which Cotality said is the first global survey to examine consumer sentiment towards AI across the full homebuying journey, points to a market that sees potential in the technology but is not yet ready to trust it without safeguards.
For UK lenders and property professionals, that matters. With more than £250 billion in annual mortgage lending, Cotality argues that even modest improvements in efficiency could have significant consequences for both capacity and transaction speed.
The firm said AI-led workflows could cut mortgage processing times by between one and three months, allowing lenders to recycle capital more quickly and handle more business without increasing headcount.
The findings suggest many buyers already assume AI is embedded in the property market. Across the survey, at least three quarters of respondents said they expect the technology to be in use somewhere in the housing ecosystem. Property websites ranked highest at 86%, followed by insurers on 82%, lenders on 80% and agents on 80%. Brokers were close behind on 79%.
That expectation is not evenly shared across age groups. While 70% of Boomers assume AI is already part of the process, the figure rises to 84% for Millennials and 81% for Gen Z.
CONFIDENCE FALLS AS YOUNGER BUYERS LOOK TO AI
The research also found buyer confidence in navigating the homebuying process has fallen sharply, from 83% in 2025 to 72% now. Younger buyers appear more willing to see AI as part of the answer.
Half of Gen Z respondents said AI would increase their confidence in buying a home. That compares with 40% of Millennials, 33% of Gen X and 21% of Boomers. Gen Z buyers were also more likely to say speed matters, especially when arranging legal help and insurance.
Amy Gromowski, head of data science at Cotality, said: “Homebuyers want the speed and scale of AI – but not at the expense of certainty,”
“With AI adoption accelerating the homebuying process in markets such as the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia, over 7 million mortgages are originated annually – representing several trillion pounds in combined lending volume each year.”
“If AI-powered workflows shorten time to close by just one to three months, lenders can pull forward billions in repayments, recycle capital more efficiently, and expand capacity without increasing headcount.”
UK TRUST GAP REMAINS
Despite that openness to faster processing, UK respondents were among the least forgiving when it came to accuracy. One in three homebuyers globally said they take a zero-tolerance approach to errors in property listings, whether the mistake comes from a person or from AI. UK buyers were 9 percentage points less tolerant than those in the United States.
Transparency was another clear theme. Some 68% of buyers globally said clear labelling of AI in property listings and mortgage recommendations is important, while 37% said it should be mandatory. Among Boomers, that rose to 61%.
Buyers also want more control over when the technology is used. Nearly half, 46%, said it is unacceptable for lenders or insurers to carry out automated AI valuations without prior approval. Tolerance for mistakes was low across all age groups, but especially among older respondents.
Jim Driver, managing director of Cotality UK, said: “AI offers a real opportunity to speed up the homebuying journey, cutting months from what is often a slow and complex process in the UK,”
“However, UK buyers don’t want AI-driven efficiency at the expense of accuracy or accountability. By combining AI with expert human oversight, the market can deliver faster, more seamless transactions that will benefit both buyers and lenders.”
HUMAN EXPERTISE STILL SEEN AS ESSENTIAL
The report suggests that, while buyers are prepared to accept AI in administrative or information-gathering parts of the process, they remain reluctant to rely on it in higher-stakes decisions.
Almost half of buyers globally, 48%, said AI is reliable for making fair lending decisions. Even so, human professionals remain the preferred option in key areas. In the UK, 71% said they would rely on a person rather than AI to find the mortgage that best suits their needs. A further 69% preferred a human for legal assistance, while half said the same for home insurance.
There were also concerns over the quality of data feeding these systems. Nearly two thirds of buyers, 64%, said they worry AI may recycle unverified information rather than rely on validated first-party data.
That caution appears to create a commercial opportunity for advisers and other professionals. Almost half of UK buyers, 48%, said they would pay an extra fee for a human expert to verify AI-generated housing decisions. That is above the global average of 44%, and higher than Australia on 35% and Canada on 30%.
Driver said: “What the UK data shows is that buyers are clear on where they want AI involved – and where they don’t,”
“While nearly three quarters of homebuyers globally want AI in the process, UK buyers still value human oversight. In a market where transactions are complex and drawn out, that’s understandable. The industry’s opportunity is to use AI to speed up administrative parts of the process, while keeping buyers in control.”
For lenders, brokers and other firms involved in the transaction process, the message is straightforward. Buyers may be ready to accept AI as part of the homebuying journey, but only where it improves speed without weakening trust, clarity or accountability.
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