Most Build to Rent prospects leave a viewing with good things to say. More than half also leave with a "however". Here's what our 2026 mystery shopping benchmark shows about that word, and how leasing teams can answer it before the prospect walks out of the door.
"The apartment block was nice. However, I found the amenities to be quite basic, with little to offer beyond the garden areas."
That's one of our mystery shoppers feedback from a viewing carried out as part of our latest round of research. It's a pattern we saw again and again.
For From Lead to Lease 2026, hereSAY's fifth Build to Rent benchmark, our shoppers posed as prospective residents at 137 schemes across the UK and Ireland and completed more than 700 in-person viewings. To understand how they felt, not just what happened, we ran a sentiment analysis of almost 29,000 sentences they wrote about their visits.
One word stood out.
Half of viewings came with a catch
More than half of viewings (54%) contained a "however" in the shopper's written feedback. Praise first, then the reservation behind it.
It shows in the scores. Viewings with a "however" averaged a hereSAY score of 75%, against 83% for those without one. This word represents an objection or issue they encountered during the viewing experience.
Prospects are forgiving up to a point. Nine in ten raised at least one issue somewhere in their visit, and one or two made very little difference to the likelihood to decide to rent a flat. Once a third issue appeared, intent to rent dropped from 93% to 58%.
What comes before and after the however
The praise before the word was most often about amenities, design and finish, and the website and photos. The catch after it was most often about replies and follow-up, amenities, cleanliness and upkeep, and a scheme that didn't look the way it was marketed.
Amenities appear on both lists. The same feature that impresses one prospect can disappoint the next, depending on what they were expecting.
Where objections come from
Most objections can be anticipated, because they come from the same four places:
Product: 67%. The scheme (42%), such as amenities that fall short of the marketing, upkeep, location or parking. The apartment (24%), such as furniture, size, storage or a dated finish.
Price: 13%. A rent that feels too high for what's on offer, or extra costs such as parking.
Process: 12%. Mostly slow replies and missed follow-up.
People: 5%. A rushed or impersonal tour, or a guide who couldn't answer questions.
Only one objection in twenty is about the leasing team, and 93% of shoppers praised something about the people who showed them round. But the team is still central, because they are the ones in the room when a concern comes up.
Answering the however while the prospect is still in the room
A "however" that goes unspoken during the viewing tends to come out later, in the feedback form or in a decision to look elsewhere. High-performing leasing teams treat objections as something to listen for, not something to avoid.
From the report, three things make the difference:
Know your scheme's objections. List the ones you hear most often, across process, product, people and price. Agree how the team will respond to each, and which need action from operations or asset management.
Draw them out during the viewing. Listen for the reservation behind the praise and ask questions that bring it to the surface, so it can be addressed on the spot.
Ask before they leave. Ask how the prospect feels about the scheme, and whether there's anything that would stop them living there.
Some concerns can't be solved on a tour. A dark apartment or a tired communal area needs action from the asset, so recurring complaints should be fed back to the asset management team. Keeping photos and CGIs accurate matters too: when shoppers found a scheme worse in person than online, only 23% could picture themselves living there.
The gaps are just as clear on the leasing side. Where shoppers felt the Build to Rent offer wasn't explained, intent to rent was 51%, against 78% where it was. After a rushed tour, it was 48%, against 78%.
Find your however
Every scheme has one. The best teams know what theirs is, listen for it and answer it before the prospect leaves.
From Lead to Lease 2026 covers each source of objection in detail, with what good looks like at every stage of the journey, the top 10 schemes and top 5 operators, and six key actions for leasing teams.
To talk about how your schemes compare, contact Esme Webb or Nicolas Philippe-Desneufbourg.