Letting agents are being told they risk missing a major source of future instructions if they ignore Build To Rent (BTR).

PropTech firm Propoly claims estimated annual investment in BTR has risen from £2.3 billion in 2016 to £5.5 billion in 2025.

And it suggests that a further £3.1 billion was invested during the first half of 2026.

Propoly says agents need integrated technology capable of automating repetitive administration without requiring headcount to grow at the same rate as their managed portfolio.

And the company’s chief executive Sim Sekhon says: “One of the biggest misconceptions in the industry is that Build to Rent is simply traditional buy-to-let with more properties. 

“It isn’t. It’s an entirely different operating model, with institutional landlords expecting consistency, transparency and operational excellence at every stage of the resident journey.

“As investment continues to flow into the sector, Build to Rent is becoming far too significant for letting agents to ignore. The opportunity is enormous, but so too is the shift in expectations.”

However, support organisations fore Build To Rent have just this week admitted the sector is in trouble.

Indeed, research by Savills shows Build To Rent (BTR) starts-on-site across the UK falling by 79% in the year to June.

The figures marks one of the biggest falls in BTR development commencements, with the impact felt most acutely outside London, with an 84% drop occurring outside of the capital. 

On schemes currently under construction, nationally the number of homes fell by 21% in Q2 2026 compared to Q2 2025, with London experiencing a more substantial drop (27%) than the regions (19%). 

This is continuing the trend whereby completions exceed new starts-on-site and schemes coming through the planning system, despite an uplift in the number of schemes being approved. 

This can be seen by the fact that for the tenth consecutive quarter, annual completions have exceeded starts.

Experts say this significant drop in the number of starts reflects the broader viability challenges that the BTR sector is increasingly facing and is contributing to the observed flight of investment to established BTR assets, as opposed to new development.