"Industry professionals are bombarded with new tools and ‘next big things’, creating saturation, confusion, and fatigue. As a result, the sector is now divided between those who swear by technology and those who see it as a distraction or a drain"
- Siân Hemming-Metcalfe - Inventory Base
A new nationwide survey from Inventory Base has highlighted a sharp divide in how property professionals view PropTech, underscoring both its potential to transform the sector and the frustrations around its adoption and performance.
The study looked at industry sentiment towards the wave of technology products developed over the past decade to streamline, automate, and enhance property operations. While innovation has accelerated, the findings suggest the market is split between advocates and sceptics.
Divided views on usage and importance
More than half of respondents (55%) said they never use PropTech tools, while 29% reported using them daily. When asked about its role in day-to-day success, 48% of professionals said PropTech was not important at all, while 25% considered it essential. A further 15% described it as ‘somewhat important’.
Return on investment is another point of contention. Over half (52%) of professionals said PropTech delivered little or no value, compared with 19% who felt it produced strong returns.
Where PropTech is used, and where it falls short
Respondents pointed to several common applications:
Compliance tasks (16%)
Marketing (14%)
Admin functions such as scheduling and invoicing (13%)
Communication with colleagues or clients (13%)
However, half of those surveyed said PropTech tools fail to address the real challenges they face. Only 13% rated the tools as highly effective, while 30% said the impact was moderate. Almost half (48%) believe products could do more to resolve genuine pain points.
Key barriers: integration, costs, and credibility
The most frequently cited issue is poor integration. Nearly a quarter (23%) said PropTech tools often fail to work seamlessly with their existing CRMs. Cost and value also remain obstacles, with 22% calling for more competitive pricing or clearer returns. Other concerns include better training and onboarding (15%) and the need for stronger evidence-based results and case studies (10%).
According to Inventory Base, the challenge is not the quantity of tools available but how effectively they integrate into the systems professionals already rely on.
Industry reaction
“These candid insights from property professionals shouldn't be ignored," explained Sián Hemming-Metcalfe, operations director at Inventory Base. "When one segment of the industry is fully bought into PropTech and another dismisses it entirely, it shows that the sector is still divisive. Yet to be a force for good, technology needs to unite, not fragment, the industry.”
She added, “The word ‘seamless’ is everywhere in PropTech marketing, but when uptake and satisfaction are so uneven, seamlessness becomes impossible. Yes, there are some incredible, transformational tools out there. But there’s also a lot of noise, too many products solving problems that don’t exist, or demanding that professionals adopt entirely new ecosystems, rather than integrating into the systems already in use.”
Hemming-Metcalfe continued, “After more than a decade of innovation, PropTech remains at a crossroads. Industry professionals are bombarded with new tools and ‘next big things’, creating saturation, confusion, and fatigue. As a result, the sector is now divided between those who swear by technology and those who see it as a distraction or a drain.”
She concluded, “The biggest challenge now is closing that gap. Unless PropTech solutions are designed to fit into existing workflows and deliver real, measurable value, the sector will struggle to fulfil its original promise, to make life easier, more efficient, and more profitable for the people who keep the property industry moving.”
