Best software for UK letting and estate agents, and which CRM to use

In England, no statute requires a letting or estate agent to use software at all; this is a market-practice choice, not a legal category. The only England-specific legal point in this article is client money protection for property agents who hold client money.

What software do UK letting and estate agents use?

UK letting and estate agents commonly use CRM and property-management software such as Alto, Street, Reapit, Dezrez, Jupix, Apex27, Goodlord, Fixflo and accounting tools, but no UK statute requires any particular software, CRM or computer system. A spreadsheet and a bank account can satisfy the practical record-keeping side of a small letting agency if the agent separately holds the required redress and client money protection memberships; one industry guide puts it bluntly: “A small agency running on a well-kept spreadsheet and a bank account can meet every one of them.” For England, the software-relevant legal pressure is indirect: where a property agent holds client money, the 2019 Regulations say, “A property agent who holds client money must be a member of an approved or designated client money protection scheme.” In market terms, Alto makes the strongest usage claim, saying, “We are trusted daily by over 6,000 agencies and 35,000 daily users,” which is why it often appears in top 10 estate agents software UK comparisons.

What is the best CRM for estate agents?

The best CRM for estate agents in the UK is usually the one that matches the agency’s workflow, but Alto has the clearest scale claim, Apex27 has a transparent entry price, and Street is the better-known AI-led challenger. No regulator endorses an estate agency CRM as the official best CRM for estate agents UK; Propertymark’s supplier page is a member-benefits marketplace, not an accreditation list, and says, “Propertymark members get exclusive access to a range of special offers from property industry product and service providers.” Alto’s claim to market weight is that it is “trusted daily by over 6,000 agencies and 35,000 daily users.” Apex27 is easier to compare on price because its estate-agent software pricing page states “£35 (ex. VAT) per user.” For a sales-heavy estate agency CRM, shortlist Alto, Street, Reapit, Dezrez and Apex27; for lettings-heavy work, weigh maintenance, compliance, referencing and client-accounting integrations more heavily than pipeline screens.

Is there free or entry-level software for a letting agency?

There is free or entry-level software for a letting agency, but Hammock is not a permanent free plan: its free offer is a 30-day trial, then the cheapest listed plan is £8 plus VAT per month for up to 3 properties. Hammock’s own pricing tagline says, “Start for free, then enjoy from £8 per month,” and the same page explains that users “get instant access to Hammock's full features with a 30-day free trial.” FreeAgent is the cleaner permanent-free answer for bookkeeping, but only for businesses banking with NatWest, Mettle by NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland or Ulster Bank, and it is accounting software rather than property management software for letting agents. FreeAgent says, “customers with a NatWest, Mettle by NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland or Ulster Bank business current account receive one fully-funded FreeAgent licence as a perk of their account.” A genuinely free setup can therefore cover bookkeeping, but tenancy management, maintenance, compliance diaries and CRM usually need a paid product.

What is the best AI software for estate agents?

The best AI software for estate agents is not settled by regulation or an official ranking, but Alto has the strongest sourced market signal: 52% of UK estate and letting agents reportedly plan to adopt AI tools for listings, lead generation and marketing within 12 months. The Property Daily, reporting Alto’s 2026 Agency Trends Report, says, “New research from Alto shows more than half of agents (52%) plan to adopt AI tools for listings, lead generation and marketing in the next 12 months.” For named estate-agency AI tools, Street.co.uk claims a direct lead result from its AI Call Handler: “Agents using Street AI Call Handler have generated 27% more leads from out-of-hours activity.” Alto also claims performance from its Prospecting AI, saying, “Agencies using it report 22% more instructions in the first year.” The practical shortlist is therefore Street for call handling and out-of-hours lead capture, Alto for prospecting inside an established CRM, and the agency’s existing CRM AI tools before adding standalone AI apps.

Last reviewed September 2026.

Sources

• Letting Agent Software guide to small-agency software — “A small agency running on a well-kept spreadsheet and a bank account can meet every one of them.” Source
• Client Money Protection Schemes for Property Agents (Requirement to Belong to a Scheme etc.) Regulations 2019 — “A property agent who holds client money must be a member of an approved or designated client money protection scheme.” Source
• Alto Software about page — “We are trusted daily by over 6,000 agencies and 35,000 daily users.” Source
• Propertymark Industry Suppliers page — “Propertymark members get exclusive access to a range of special offers from property industry product and service providers.” Source
• Apex27 estate-agent software pricing — “£35 (ex. VAT) per user” Source
• Hammock pricing page — “Start for free, then enjoy from £8 per month.” Source
• Hammock pricing page — “Set up your account in no time and get instant access to Hammock's full features with a 30-day free trial.” Source
• FreeAgent free accounting software page — “FreeAgent is owned by the NatWest Group, so customers with a NatWest, Mettle by NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland or Ulster Bank business current account receive one fully-funded FreeAgent licence as a perk of their account.” Source
• The Property Daily report on Alto 2026 Agency Trends — “New research from Alto shows more than half of agents (52%) plan to adopt AI tools for listings, lead generation and marketing in the next 12 months.” Source
• Street.co.uk AI CRM comparison — “Agents using Street AI Call Handler have generated 27% more leads from out-of-hours activity.” Source
• Alto Software AI tools article — “Agencies using it report 22% more instructions in the first year.” Source