Only 31% of letting agents confident their onboarding process protects against tenancy fraud
The latest research from Propoly has revealed that just 31% of UK letting agents are absolutely confident that their tenant onboarding process protects against tenancy fraud, as lengthy onboarding times and delays with referencing continue to create challenges for the industry.
Propoly surveyed UK letting agents to understand how long tenant onboarding currently takes, where delays occur and which aspects of the process present the greatest challenges.*
The research found that less than a third (31%) of agents are completing tenant onboarding in an average of three days or less, while 29% say the process typically takes one to two weeks and a further 31% say it takes between four and seven days. For 6% of respondents, the average timeline surpasses a fortnight.
Tenant referencing was identified as the biggest source of delay, with 43% of agents citing it as the part of the onboarding process that causes the most problems. The findings highlight the difficulty agents face in balancing the need to complete thorough checks with the pressure to onboard tenants quickly and keep properties moving towards a tenancy.
Fraud is also emerging as a significant concern for agents. In July 2026, MoneyWeek reported that the annual cost associated with tenancy fraud increased by 101.4% between 2021 and 2025, rising from £7.2m to £14.5m.
Reflecting the growing scale of the issue, Propoly’s research found that just 31% of letting agents are absolutely confident that their current tenant onboarding process protects against tenancy fraud.
When asked separately about the challenges they face during onboarding, 54% of agents said they have concerns about tenant fraud. Just under a third (29%) identified preventing fraud and verifying information as their biggest onboarding challenge, while an identical proportion cited chasing tenants for the relevant information and documentation.
The findings suggest that the pressure on agents extends beyond simply completing checks. Agents must gather documentation from tenants, verify identities and information, carry out referencing and ensure potential fraud risks are identified, all while trying to keep the process moving efficiently.
For letting agents, a slow or fragmented onboarding process can create additional administration at a point when speed and certainty are increasingly important. At the same time, the need for robust anti-fraud and identity checks means that simply reducing the number of checks is not a viable solution.
Propoly’s technology is designed to address these challenges by bringing key elements of the tenant onboarding process together in one streamlined platform. Its solution combines fast AI fraud document detection and ID checks, tenant referencing, open banking and payslip automation through direct connections to HMRC, all of which helps agents complete essential checks efficiently while maintaining confidence in the information being provided.
Sim Sekhon, Group CEO at Propoly, commented:
“Tenant onboarding has become a difficult balancing act for letting agents. They need to move quickly, because delays can frustrate landlords, tenants and agents alike, but they also need to be confident that the person they are onboarding is who they say they are and that the information they’ve provided can be trusted.
The answer isn’t to choose between speed and security. Agents need a process that delivers both. If referencing, identity checks, fraud prevention and document collection are fragmented across different systems and rely heavily on chasing tenants, it’s inevitable that the process becomes slower and more difficult to manage.
Technology has a significant role to play here. At Propoly, we’ve built our onboarding process around making these essential checks faster and simpler, without compromising on the safeguards agents need. Fast AI anti-fraud and ID checks, combined with referencing, can give agents greater confidence while helping them get tenants through the process more efficiently.
For agents, a good onboarding experience should ultimately mean less administration, fewer delays and greater certainty that the tenancy is progressing with the right tenant. That’s what we are focused on delivering.”
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