hereSAY’s From Lead to Lease 2026 report finds 93% of prospective renters praised the leasing team, while two thirds of their objections were about the scheme and the apartment
Build to Rent leasing teams are the sector's strongest asset, and prospective renters had plenty of good things to say about the schemes too. Where doubts did come up, they point operators to exactly where to focus next. That is the central finding of From Lead to Lease 2026, the fifth edition of hereSAY's annual Build to Rent mystery shopping benchmark, published today. The report centres on intent to rent: what makes a prospect leave a viewing able to picture themselves living at the scheme, and what puts them off.
Over the past year, hereSAY's mystery shoppers posed as prospective residents at 137 Build to Rent schemes across the UK and Ireland, following the full journey from the first enquiry to the viewing and the follow-up. They completed more than 700 in-person viewings, and hereSAY analysed almost 29,000 sentences they wrote about how each visit felt, alongside whether they could picture themselves living there.
93% of shoppers praised the team that showed them around, and staff accounted for just 5% of the objections they raised. A personal touch made a real difference: when the tour was tailored to the shopper, 89% could picture themselves living at the scheme, compared with 54% when it was not.
Shoppers were positive about the schemes as well. The things they praised most were the amenities, the design and finish, and the website, and 85% found the scheme as good as or better than it looked online. Where a shopper did raise a real objection, which happened in 42% of viewings, two thirds of those objections were about the scheme and the apartment, such as amenities, upkeep, furniture or a scheme that did not live up to its marketing. Those moments mattered: the share who could picture themselves living there fell from 87% to 57%.
The report also highlights where schemes can strengthen the journey on either side of the viewing:
Booking a viewing: phone enquiries were usually booked on the first call, while web enquiries took a median of four contacts. Six in every 100 enquiries never reached a viewing at all.
Following up: eight in every 100 enquiries led to a good or excellent viewing and intent to rent, but no follow-up.
Value for money: 72% of shoppers rated their scheme good value, up from 68% last year. When the team told them about both events and maintenance, that rose to 81%, compared with 52% when neither came up.
Esme Webb, Director of hereSAY and Research, said:
"Build to Rent leasing teams are getting so much right. Our shoppers found guides who were friendly, confident and knew their buildings, and almost all of them had good things to say about the team. Most shoppers liked the schemes too, and where they did have doubts, those doubts were specific and fixable: an amenity that fell short, a scheme that did not quite match its marketing, or a web enquiry that took four attempts to book. The schemes at the top of this year's benchmark get the whole journey right, from a quick reply to a building that lives up to its promise and a thoughtful follow-up afterwards. That is something every operator can learn from."
Debra Yudolph, Founder and CEO of SAY, said:
"Build to Rent has come a long way, and this report shows how much its leasing teams have to be proud of. The next step is making sure every part of the journey lives up to expectations. That is where operators will find the difference between an interested prospect and a new resident, and it is exactly where hereSAY's mystery shopping and training can help."
The report’s launch follows the hereSAY Lead to Lease Awards 2026, presented at the Love to Rent Awards on Friday 23 October, where New Vic by Homes by PIC was named Best Scheme, Homes by PIC took Best Operator, and Pall Mall Press by ila by Ridgeback Group won Best Leasing Team.
The full report, including the top 10 Build to Rent schemes and top 5 operators of 2026 and six key actions for leasing teams, is free to download here:
https://www.sayproperty.co.uk/reports/the-heresay-btr-lead-to-lease-report-2026