The leasing funnel has been automated from the top down. Renters search digitally, listings are syndicated instantly, and AI now handles lead nurturing across the entire inquiry pipeline. The only part of the process that’s remained manual is the tour, which is also the most consequential aspect of the leasing journey.
That’s starting to change. New insights from the Rently 2026 Renter Touring Expectations Report describe a new model that combines automation and human intervention. Renters prefer self-directed access for the first visit, with human judgment available at the moment they need it.
How the Old Format Fails Renters and Leasing Agents
The report found that 42% of renters prefer a self-guided tour as their first step, which is more than any other format. Sixty-four percent want their initial visit to be agent-free in some form, and 57% want a person available to answer questions about lease terms, fees, and move-in timing.
Renters don’t want to eliminate human contact from leasing, but they do want more control over when that contact happens and what it’s for. The agent-led tour requires human interaction before the renter has decided whether they’re interested, which creates pressure in both directions. Renters pretend to be enthusiastic, with 57% admitting they’ve acted more interested during tours than they actually were to avoid an uncomfortable interaction. The leasing team is forced to deliver a pitch before the prospect is ready to hear it.
Agent-led touring also requires leasing staff to manage the physical visit and field substantive questions about pricing, availability, and lease terms at the same time. The problem with that is, they occur at the wrong moment.
A prospect who’s still deciding whether they like the layout of a two-bedroom doesn’t want to talk about deposit structures. A prospect who has toured three properties in a day and wants to move fast does. The traditional format doesn’t distinguish between them, so leasing teams spend significant time on the first category and often miss the urgency of the second.
The Infrastructure That Makes Hybrid Touring Work
Making self-guided touring work can’t rely on lockboxes. Renters need more than that to feel confident walking into a property alone.
According to the Rently report, they need confirmation that the listing is legitimate before arrival. They also want clear, step-by-step entry instructions, access that’s time-limited and tied to their identity, and an easy way to reach someone if something goes wrong. When they’re done, they want a clean, simple exit process.
One respondent described driving 90 minutes to tour a property, only to find the access instructions were wrong and they couldn’t connect with anyone on the support line. Failures like that create the exact experience renters were hoping to avoid by choosing self-guided in the first place. That’s why technology must address every step in the tour process, not just door access.
This is where the difference between a basic self-guided offering and a real hybrid model becomes visible. Basic self-guided touring removes the agent from the visit. A hybrid model replaces the agent’s coordination tasks with technology while ensuring that they step in to convert the prospect at the right moment. Moreover, it makes the handoff between them seamless enough that the renter doesn’t feel the transition.
Where Human Judgement Is Still Required
Renters want humans focused on the parts of leasing that require human judgment. When they’ve toured a property and formed their opinion, the conversation expands to include questions about lease terms, application timelines, fee structures, and move-in flexibility. A leasing agent who picks up that conversation has a renter who’s already primed with specific, answerable questions. That’s a higher-quality interaction for both parties, and it’s far more likely to convert.
Rently’s 2025 report on AI in leasing found that renters want technology to handle routine logistics. Seventy-four percent lose trust when AI is used without disclosure and three out of four want a human available for complex questions. They aren’t making a binary choice between technology and people. They want technology for deterministic tasks, and humans for tasks that require context-specific judgment.
Understanding this allows leasing agents to expand their capacity. They can spend less time walking residents through units that aren’t right for them, and more time closing conversations with prospects who have already decided they’re interested.
Making the Model Real
Throughout the proptech sector, operators are beginning to realize that automation and human expertise aren’t competing forces to be balanced against each other. They’re different tools for different moments in the same workflow, and more platforms are being built with integration in mind instead of replacement.
Achieving this integration requires specificity. A platform that enables hybrid touring has to handle identity verification before entry, time-limited smart access that works reliably, real-time renter support during the visit, and a clean handoff protocol that brings a leasing agent into the conversation at the right moment. Each of those elements exists in the market. The challenge is connecting them in a single renter experience that feels coherent.
Platforms with features like proximity-based smart lock access, AI-assisted lead nurturing, and fee transparency are driving this evolution. The goal is to make sure every touchpoint, whether automated or human, happens at the moment it creates the most value.
The Leasing Standard Is Changing
Renters who tour frequently at multiple properties are developing a baseline expectation for how the process should feel. The properties that meet that expectation stand out, and the ones that don’t fall out of consideration early.
Sixty-eight percent of renters in the Rently report said they’ve lost interest in a rental because scheduling was too difficult. Seventy-eight percent say they’d move on within three days if a leasing office didn’t respond to a tour request. Renters are walking away before even getting to the tour.
For operators and the technology platforms serving them, the hybrid touring model offers a solution. Self-guided access lets renters move on their own timeline and arrive at decisions on their own terms. Human support at the right moments turns that independent evaluation into a lease. Connecting those two things reliably through hardware, software, and clear handoff design will allow operators to create a competitive advantage that lasts.
The full data set is available in the 2026 Renter Touring Expectations Report, covering renter preferences by generation, tour format, and key friction points across the leasing journey.
