Who are you and what does it say on your business card?
Jon Chapman
Founder of Letwise
What is [company name] and what does it do?
Letwise is a Digital Compliance Assistant for lettings powered by AI. Providing clear compliance answers in seconds, with cited sources you can verify and trust.
What services do you offer and in what ways do you work with estate and letting agents?
The Letwise platform supports agents with answers to day-to-day compliance questions that they can verify and trust in seconds. In providing agency teams with the right information, we help remove bottlenecks, allowing them to move forward quickly and with confidence.
What makes your product different and how does it benefit agents?
The challenge for letting agents is not simply accessing information, but accessing guidance they can rely on and trust.
Letwise is purpose-built for the lettings sector, helping agents make compliant decisions quickly and confidently. Answers are grounded with primary legislation and official guidance, with cited source text and sentence-level references that can be checked instantly.
Agents benefit from reduced compliance admin, fewer internal bottlenecks, and consistent decision-making across their teams. The platform is continuously updated as legislation and case law evolve, and has been informed by legal domain expertise with a solicitor-in-the-loop to review guidance for added confidence.
What is your greatest achievement in your current role and what made it so special?
My greatest achievement has been helping shift compliance in the lettings sector from something reactive and person-dependent to something structured and accessible across teams. As regulation has grown more complex, many agencies have relied on a small number of experienced individuals to interpret and apply the rules.
Building a solution that makes primary legislation and official guidance practically usable in day-to-day decisions has felt particularly significant. It plays a small but meaningful role in supporting the continued professionalisation of the sector.
What is the most satisfying part of your job?
The most satisfying part of my role is helping agents navigate day-to-day compliance questions with confidence, without adding to their administrative burden. As compliance obligations increase, so does the pressure on agencies.
Seeing teams approach those challenges more consistently and with greater assurance is particularly rewarding.
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing estate and letting agents at the moment?
I don’t think there’s a single challenge, but the Renters’ Rights Act will create several. It represents the most significant legislative shift since 1988, with increased enforcement powers and tougher penalties.
Alongside the operational challenge of adapting to reform, agents are facing pressure on income as certain fees are removed, some landlords exit the market, and the general cost of running a business continues to rise. The combination of regulatory complexity and commercial pressure makes this a particularly demanding period for the sector.
What is your property prediction for 2026?
This won’t be a surprise but AI will become increasingly embedded in agency operations but in ways that support agents rather than replace them. The real opportunity lies in reducing administrative burden, streamlining inefficient processes and improving access to reliable information.
By removing friction from day-to-day tasks, agents will have more time to focus on service, relationships and the personal judgement that technology cannot replicate.
Country house or city apartment?
After more than 20 years in London, I moved to the coast a couple of years ago and haven’t looked back. There’s nothing quite like seeing the sea first thing in the morning.
Trendy roof terrace or traditional English garden?
Traditional (Trendy) English garden I love being outside, and there’s something grounding and spiritual about being outside in nature.
Would you rather be a free-moving tenant or settled owner/occupier?
With a young family, settled is definitely easier. We feel very fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the world. That said, there’s still a part of me that would love to be nomadic at some point and see more of it.
What is your favourite room in your home?
The kitchen, it’s the hub of our home. It’s where we gather and socialise, and I’m fortunate to have a wife who is an exceptional cook, so the aromas alone make it hard to stay away.
Homes under the Hammer or Location, Location, Location?
Location, Location, Location (just).
I’m intrigued by the auction model, which probably stems from my early years attending car auctions and having always seen property as an investment asset. That said, there’s a real behavioural and emotional element to finding a home that requires skill and understanding, something that is often overlooked, but which makes a great agent.
