The UK property sector is operating with a notable absence of independent, verifiable data on the volume of enquiries received outside traditional office hours. This lack of clear insight means industry figures regarding after-hours demand fluctuate dramatically, with various suppliers presenting statistics ranging from 26% to a staggering 91% based on their own internal data sets.
Analysis by James Mulholland, founder of Clevaa, highlights the discrepancy, arguing that these diverse figures reflect differing methodologies and self-selected samples rather than a consistent measurement of market reality. For instance, Moneypenny reports 26% from its switchboard data, while Nested claims 91% from a survey on whether agents receive any out-of-hours enquiries. Other technology providers like Yomdel, ValPal, Greenhouse OS, and OneDome cite figures between 50% and 65%, further illustrating the fragmented understanding within the industry.
Mulholland's research also debunks a widely circulated claim that '40% of enquiries arrive out of hours', often attributed to a major property portal. He clarifies that this 40% figure originated from a 2014 mystery shopping exercise, which actually measured letting agent response times and found nearly 40% of agents failed to respond to viewing requests within 24 hours during office hours. The statistic, therefore, pertains to slow response rates, not the timing of initial enquiries, with only about one in ten agents replying by both phone and email within an hour during office hours.
Despite the lack of comprehensive independent data on enquiry timing, some existing research provides valuable context. Propertymark's Housing Insight Report from September 2025 indicates that an average member branch handles approximately 184 new prospective buyers and tenants monthly, equating to roughly six new applicants daily, including weekends. Furthermore, portal data from 2019 identified 8:48 PM on Wednesday as the busiest home-hunting time in the UK, with the 8 PM to 9 PM slot being the busiest hour overall each day. This coincides with a November 2025 YouGov survey, commissioned by Zoopla, which found that 26% of home-sellers expect a reply within one hour, and 67% within four hours.
The timing mismatch between peak customer activity and traditional agent availability presents significant operational challenges. As customer expectations for rapid responses continue to rise, the gap between when prospective clients are actively searching and when human agents are available to respond becomes increasingly pronounced. The analysis suggests that technology can play a crucial role in capturing and qualifying evening enquiries, allowing human negotiators to focus on instruction conversion during standard office hours. This approach could bridge the gap, ensuring that clients searching at 8:40 PM receive more than just automated responses or voicemails.