What should an AI assistant never tell a caller?

When a receptionist tells a buyer something wrong about a property, the agency owns the mistake and fixes it. When software says it, the agency still owns it, and the caller neither knows nor cares which it was. So before any AI answers your phones or your rental inbox, write down what it must never say, then test those boundaries the way a caller would.

These boundaries apply whatever product you use. Where they touch the law, this is general information, not legal advice: the regulators linked below have the detail, and your solicitor has the answer for your agency.

Why should it only state what is in the public listing?

Because the public listing is the version of the facts the owner has approved for buyers and renters to hear, and everything else in the agency's systems is private. Your CRM and inbox hold what a caller must never hear: why the owners are selling, that they have bought elsewhere and need to settle by March, what they would accept, the last offer. An assistant connected to all of it can repeat any of it if a caller asks the right way: "Are they in a hurry?"

Price is the sharpest case. In Queensland, it is illegal for a seller or their agent to give a price guide for an auction property. In New South Wales, agents must not indicate any price, verbal, written or advertised, below the estimated selling price. An assistant that tells a buyer "they'd probably take 850" is the agency saying it.

Accuracy matters as much as privacy. Queensland's Office of Fair Trading says licensed property agents must not mislead or deceive when advertising property for sale, and that a false or misleading representation about the sale of land is an offence under the Australian Consumer Law. A confident wrong answer on the phone carries the same risk as a wrong line in an ad.

What should it do when it does not know the answer?

Say the team will follow up, then create a task so a person does. It should never guess.

AI models produce fluent answers whether or not they have the facts. The OAIC's guidance on commercial AI products notes that AI systems are "known to produce inaccurate or false results". A listing that does not mention a second car park does not mean there is no second car park. The right answer is "I don't have that detail, I'll have the team confirm it", not yes and not no.

Test this before launch. Ask about things your listings are silent on, such as school catchments, body corporate rules or a renovation date, and check the assistant declines every time. Then check the task it creates names the question, the caller, the property and how to reach them.

When can it say a booking is confirmed?

Only when the booking is real: a time agreed against the agent's actual calendar, for something the assistant is allowed to book. Everything else is a request, and it should be described as one.

An appraisal time checked against the agent's working hours and existing appointments can be agreed on the call. A private inspection of a tenanted property cannot, because it depends on the tenant. In Queensland, showing a tenanted property to a prospective buyer needs a Notice of lessor's intention to sell (Form 10) and an Entry notice (Form 9) giving 48 hours' notice. An assistant that says "you're booked for Saturday at 10" has promised something nobody can deliver. "I've passed that on, and the team will confirm a time" is honest. The same distinction runs through the first call with a seller, covered in questions to ask a seller on the first call.

How careful should it be with tenant and applicant information?

Very careful. It should not confirm who lives at a property, discuss anyone's rental application, or pass on a person's details to a caller, whoever the caller says they are. "Did my daughter's application go through?" and "Is he still renting there?" both end in a message for the property manager.

The Privacy Act 1988 and its 13 Australian Privacy Principles govern how covered organisations collect, use and disclose personal information. Most businesses with an annual turnover of $3 million or less are not covered, but the OAIC lists exceptions that apply regardless of turnover, so check where your agency sits. Where the Act applies, the OAIC says privacy obligations cover personal information entered into an AI system, and AI outputs that contain personal information.

Queensland adds its own rules for renters. The Residential Tenancies Authority says applicant information may only be collected if it is relevant to the application or managing the premises, must be stored securely, and must be destroyed after 3 months for unsuccessful applicants. Those destruction rules apply to tenancy agreements that commenced on or after 1 May 2025.

When should it take a message instead of answering?

Whenever the call is not routine business: personal calls, complaints, disputes, anything involving a death, a separation, a safety concern or a legal letter, and any question that needs legal, financial or strata advice.

"Can my landlord put the rent up mid-lease?" "Should I sell before 30 June for tax reasons?" "Will the body corporate approve a dog?" These belong to the Residential Tenancies Authority, an accountant or adviser, and the body corporate. Even an experienced property manager answers them carefully. An assistant can point the caller to the right body, but it should not interpret. Quoting a fact the listing states, such as the advertised body corporate levies, is fine. Saying what those levies mean for the buyer is advice.

A message is a complete outcome, not a failure: the caller's name, number, what it is about and how urgent it is, passed to the right person quickly.

Why should every call and email be recorded?

So a person can check what was said and fix it quickly when it is wrong. The OAIC recommends processes to ensure appropriate human oversight of AI outputs, and records are what make that oversight possible.

In practice that means telling callers the call is recorded, a recording and transcript for every call, the full thread for every email, a way for staff to flag a conversation, and someone who reads the flags. Review every flagged conversation and a sample of the rest each week while you build confidence. When you find a wrong answer, fix the instruction or the data behind it, not only the one call.

How does AgentFront handle these boundaries?

Here is how AgentFront's Phone Assistant and Rental Enquiry Email Assistant handle each point:

• Listing facts. Callers and enquirers only hear what is publicly listed on realestate.com.au. Private notes are never read to a caller.
• Unknowns. If a detail is not public, the assistant says the team will follow up and creates a task.
• Bookings. Appraisal times are agreed from the agent's real calendar, allowing for working hours, appointment length and buffers, and the event is written once the call ends. The email assistant does not book private inspections. It creates a task instead.
• Sensitive matters. Personal calls are taken as messages and texted to the agent. Email replies can wait as drafts for a person to approve, and anything unusual or sensitive is marked Needs review instead of being answered.
• Records. Every call is recorded with a timestamped transcript and summary, and staff can flag any call for AgentFront's team to review.