75% of homebuyers expect AI plays a role in the homebuying process, according to a new global study from Cotality, but UK buyers remain less comfortable with the technology than their U.S. and Canadian counterparts.
Cotality's international study is the first of its kind to examine consumer sentiment toward AI’s role across the end-to-end homebuying journey.
With more than £250 billion in annual UK mortgage lending, even modest efficiency gains could have major implications for lenders and homebuyers. While there is a trust gap to bridge, Cotality finds AI-driven workflows could shorten mortgage processing times by one to three months - helping buyers move faster while enabling lenders to recycle capital more efficiently and increase capacity.
AI already assumed to be embedded across homebuying process
At least three-quarters of buyers assume AI is already embedded in the housing ecosystem. Buyers most expect AI in property websites (86%), insurers (82%), lenders (80%), and agents (80%) with brokers (79%) close behind.
However, a generational divide remains. 70% of Boomers assume AI is embedded in the process, compared to 84% of Millennials and 81% of Gen Z.
Younger buyers want AI support as confidence falls
Buyer confidence in navigating the homebuying process has fallen from 83% in 2025 to 72% today. Younger buyers are more likely to see AI as part of the solution: 50% of Gen Z say it would increase their confidence in buying a home, compared with 40% of Millennials, 33% of Gen X, and 21% of Boomers. Gen Z buyers also report a greater need for speed, particularly when securing legal assistance (46%) and insurance (39%).
“Homebuyers want the speed and scale of AI - but not at the expense of certainty,” Amy Gromowski, Head of Data Science at Cotality said. “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.”
Trust gap widest among UK buyers
One in three global homebuyers take a zero-tolerance approach to errors in property listings, regardless of whether the source is human or AI - with UK buyers 9 percentage points less tolerant than those in the United States.
68% of buyers globally say clear AI labelling for property listings and mortgage recommendations is important, and 37% say it should be mandatory - rising to 61% of Boomers.
Buyers also want greater control over how AI is used. Nearly half (46%) say it is unacceptable for lenders or insurers to conduct automated AI valuations without prior approval. Tolerance for AI mistakes is notably low - just 22% of Gen Z and 19% of Millennials say they are tolerant of AI errors, compared with 11% of Gen X and 9% of Boomers.
“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,” Jim Driver, Managing Director of Cotality UK, said. “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.”
Buyers want more transparency and stability in AI recommendations
AI-driven financial processes are also triggering stability concerns, with 64% of buyers concerned that AI may "recycle" unverified information rather than use validated, first-party data.
That desire for transparency is reflected in each generation's willingness to accept its outputs. Only 7% of global Gen Z homebuyers would accept AI-generated information on property risk and its subsequent effects on premiums. Millennials have a higher tolerance with 12% willing to accept and act upon AI-generated information about their home's safety. U.S and UK buyers appear most willing to adopt AI-generated information, with 11% and 10% of buyers saying they are comfortable, compared to 3% in Canada.
Consumers increasingly value the human element
While nearly half (48%) of buyers consider AI reliable for making fair lending decisions, human expertise remains the gold standard in high-stakes moments. UK buyers place particular emphasis on human involvement across the mortgage process, legal assistance and insurance tasks. Over two-thirds of Brits (71%) would rely on human professionals over AI for finding a mortgage option that best fits their needs, 69% for legal assistance and 50% for home insurance. 56% of respondents globally say they would trust a human expert’s guidance over AI when assessing natural disaster risk.
Although buyers are open to digital simulations to understand climate risk, they still want a human “safety net” when acting on that information. In fact, 48% of UK buyers say they would pay an additional fee to have a human expert verify AI-generated housing decisions - compared to the global average of 44% and well above Australia (35%) and Canada (30%).
“What the UK data shows is that buyers are clear on where they want AI involved - and where they don’t,” said Jim Driver. “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.”
To read the full AI in Housing 2026 Report, visit the Cotality website.
