Use the cheapest step that fits your volume: a voicemail that asks renters to text, an on-call rotation, self-booking links on listings, or an answering service or AI agent. In RentEngine’s data, 58% of leads came in after hours from January to March 2025, so compare full costs in CAD, channels, booking and follow-up before you buy. That figure comes from RentEngine’s own Q1 2025 report, and we found no neutral Canadian figure.
Renters look at apartments after work and on weekends. If your leasing line goes to voicemail at five, a good share of your inquiries waits until morning.
How many rental inquiries come in after hours?
More than half, in RentEngine’s data for January to March 2025. RentEngine reports that “58% of leads come in after hours” for January to March 2025, without stating a sample size (RentEngine, Q1 2025). The same report says that of every 100 leads, only 47.8% schedule a showing.
Digible analyzed 170,825 calls to multifamily properties over one quarter and found that 60.8% went unanswered, with missed calls spiking on weekday mornings and weekends (Digible). Renters also want evening slots: in a September 2025 Rently survey of 800 US renters, 50% wanted to tour outside normal hours, such as mornings, evenings or weekends (Rently).
Published shares vary a lot because “after hours” means different things. LetHub, itself a vendor, quotes older industry figures as low as about 14% of calls, and notes that a 9-to-5 weekday office is staffed only 40 of the week’s 168 hours, or 23.8% (LetHub). Your own call log and inbox timestamps are the best number to use. To put a price on the calls you miss, see what a missed leasing call costs.
What do renters expect when they reach out at night?
A real answer, and honesty about who is giving it. In Rently’s survey, 57% of US renters wanted human support available at any time, and 74% said they would feel less comfortable if AI use was not disclosed (Rently).
They also want facts they can act on. 55% wanted real-time availability and pricing, and 50% wanted suggested alternatives when a unit was not available. 71% said they would contact a person first when a problem comes up, and 47% preferred a person for tour questions or scheduling (Rently).
So whatever answers at night should know your listings, offer a time, and make it easy to reach a person. If you use AI, say so; see whether AI leasing agents should disclose they are AI.
When does after-hours coverage matter most in Quebec?
In the months before July 1. Most Quebec leases still end on June 30 (Canadian Encyclopedia). For a lease of 12 months or more, the landlord’s notice to change a condition goes out 3 to 6 months before the end, or 1 to 2 months before for a shorter lease, and the tenant has one month to reply (TAL).
That puts many vacancies on the market in the same weeks, so it is reasonable to expect spring evenings to be when a missed call hurts most. The TAL also notes that significant regulatory changes took effect on January 1, 2026, so check its page before you plan around dates. The Quebec lease renewal calendar lays out the season.
Which option fits your volume?
Start with the free steps and add paid coverage when the volume or the stakes justify it.
| Option | Cost | Best for | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voicemail that moves renters to text | Nothing | Any landlord, as a baseline | You still reply the next morning |
| On-call rotation | Staff time | Small teams with a few vacancies | Burnout, and coverage depends on one person |
| Self-scheduling on listings | A scheduling tool | Renters who are ready to book | Callers and people with questions still wait |
| Human answering service | By quote | Buyers who want people on the phone | Pricing and channels vary by plan |
| AI receptionist or leasing agent | Monthly plan plus usage | Steady volume across channels | Quality depends on listing data and setup |
Option 1: can a voicemail that moves renters to text fix it?
It helps, and it costs nothing. Instead of “leave a message”, ask renters to text the number with the address and promise a reply with showing times. Texts are quicker to work through in the morning than a pile of voicemails.
“You’ve reached Maple Street Rentals. Text this number with the address you’re interested in, and we’ll send you showing times. Reply STOP any time to stop texts.”
Cost: nothing. Catch: you still answer in the morning, after the renter has kept looking.
Texting back is covered by Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). The law defines an electronic message to include a text or voice message, and a message is commercial if one of its purposes is to “encourage participation in a commercial activity” (CASL, s. 1). A few rules matter here:
- A requested quote is exempt. A message that solely gives a quote or estimate the person asked for does not need consent (CASL, s. 6(6)(a)).
- An inquiry gives implied consent for six months. An inquiry or application about a lease, made in the six months before your message, creates an existing business relationship, and consent is implied (CASL, s. 10(9)(a) and 10(10)(e)).
- Unsubscribe must be free and last. The way to unsubscribe must cost the renter nothing and stay valid for at least 60 days after the message is sent (CASL, s. 11).
- Name yourself and honour opt-outs. The government’s texting guidance says to include your business name and respect the renter’s wishes when they unsubscribe (ISED).
- You carry the proof. The CRTC says senders of commercial messages, including texts and social media messages, must prove consent was obtained (CRTC).
Keep a record of when each renter first contacted you. More detail is in how to text rental prospects legally.
Option 2: does an on-call rotation work?
Yes, for small teams with a few vacancies. Forward the leasing line to whoever is on call in the evening and on weekends, and give them a short script: the unit, the price, the next open showing slots.
Cost: staff time and goodwill. Catch: people burn out, and coverage depends on whoever has the phone that night.
Check notice rules before confirming a late booking for an occupied unit. In New Brunswick, a landlord must give the tenant at least 24 hours’ notice to show the unit, and no notice is needed in the last month only if the lease says so (GNB). Check your province’s rules before you confirm a late booking.
Ask every caller the same few questions about the rental, such as move-in date, budget, pets and parking. Keep the questions about the rental, and never use them to screen anyone by a protected class.
Option 3: does self-scheduling on every listing help?
It helps renters who are ready to book. Where the listing site allows a link, add a booking link with your real open slots to the listing and to your auto-reply, and put it on your own website. Renters can then book a showing at 11 p.m. without talking to anyone.
Offer near-term slots. In RentEngine’s data, anything scheduled more than three days out had a 50% drop-off (RentEngine, Q4 2025), and the average self-guided showing was booked just 16 hours in advance (RentEngine, Q3 2025).
Cost: a scheduling tool, often part of showing software. Catch: it only helps renters who find the link. Callers and people with questions still wait. See answering listing-site leads after hours and how to reduce showing no-shows.
What do Canadian answering services and AI receptionists cost?
Anywhere from a quote form to C$999 a month for Dialbox Managed, and the currency is not always Canadian. Prices below were read from each vendor’s page; Nolan publishes this page, and the amounts are examples, not quotes.
| Provider | Published price | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| AnswerConnect | Canadian pricing by quote form only | Usage pricing, booking, follow-up and French coverage |
| Dialbox | Core C$129/month for 100 AI-handled calls; Pro C$299 for 300; Max C$699 for 900; Managed C$999 for a custom pool | Staff licences, toll-free numbers and locations |
| Clémentine | From $99/month plus setup from $300; currency not stated | Call allowance, extras and integrations |
| Agent IA Vocal | US$199/month for 60 minutes, US$299 for 220, US$399 for 500; one-time $999 setup | Currency of the setup fee and of the $0.48 per minute overage |
AnswerConnect. Its Canadian pricing page is a quote form with no numbers. Its real estate page describes “scalable plans at different prices according to usage” on monthly rolling contracts with no lock-in (AnswerConnect). Do not reuse an old rate card as a current Canadian quote.
Dialbox. Plans are in CAD: Core covers 1 location, Pro up to 3 and Max up to 5. Billed annually, they are C$1,290, C$2,990, C$6,990 and C$11,988 a year. Add-ons are C$35 a month per Phone + Assist staff licence, C$30 a month per toll-free number and C$25 per number change, so Pro with two staff licences is C$369 a month (Dialbox).
Dialbox says it has no automatic surprise overages and no public per-minute billing. Inbound AI gets a small grace buffer for short spikes, and sustained use past the cap means an upgrade or a Managed review. Outbound is for warm first-party follow-up with existing customers only, and outbound campaigns pause at the cap (Dialbox).
Clémentine. Allesi lists a monthly plan from $99 and setup from $300, and says the price depends on call volume and features. Its plan cards show “0 $” placeholders, and the Entreprise plan is custom, so treat $99 as a starting point, not a free plan. Year one at the floor is $99 × 12 + $300 = $1,488 in an unstated currency (Allesi).
Agent IA Vocal. Plans are labelled USD. Twelve months of Starter is US$2,388 before the $999 setup fee and any extra minutes at $0.48 each (Agent IA Vocal). Keep currencies separate until the vendor confirms the contract currency.
Which channels and follow-up do they actually cover?
They differ more than the prices do. Intake, a notification and a two-way conversation are different things, so ask each vendor to show all three.
| Requirement | AnswerConnect | Dialbox | Clémentine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone | Human receptionists, 24/7 live answering | AI, within the call pool | AI receptionist |
| Text, chat and web | Live chat; interactions viewable by app, SMS or email | SMS (manual and AI), website chat and forms | Not stated |
| Notifications by email | Forwarded email intake | Not stated | |
| Follow-up | Follow up with prospects through the app | Warm first-party outbound, paused at cap | Not stated |
| Booking | Viewings booked in your own calendar | Dialbox Calendar; syncs with Google Calendar, Outlook, HubSpot and others | Google Calendar, Outlook, Zoho and others |
| Handoff | Call flows routed to maintenance teams | Staff licences | Smart call transfer on Pro |
| Languages | Not stated | English, Quebec French, Spanish and 23 more | French and English |
Sources: AnswerConnect real estate, AnswerConnect property management, Dialbox pricing, Dialbox home page, Clémentine. AnswerConnect also lists integrations with Salesforce, Zoho, Zendesk, Zapier and Setmore.
AnswerConnect suits buyers who want people on the phone. Dialbox is a broad front-office system with calendar booking and limited outbound. Clémentine answers in French and English, connects to Google Calendar, Outlook and Zoho, and offers smart call transfer on Pro. The answering services comparison and AI leasing agent vs answering service cover more options.
What does Nolan cost for the same portfolio?
Nolan charges per door in CAD, with every channel on every plan and no per-user fee. Starter is C$39 per door per month for up to 10 doors. Pro is graduated by door band, with at least 100 doors billed. Amounts below are before tax.
| Plan or portfolio | Billed annually, per month | Billed monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Pro, 100 doors | C$419 | C$499 |
| Pro, 200 doors | C$838 | C$998 |
| Pro, 500 doors | C$1,675 | C$1,985 |
| Pro, 1,000 doors | C$3,070 | C$3,630 |
Pro rates billed annually are C$4.19 per door for doors 1 to 200, C$2.79 for doors 201 to 1,000 and C$2.09 after that. Billed monthly, they are C$4.99, C$3.29 and C$2.49 for the same bands.
Starter includes 30 voice minutes per door and Pro 5 per door, pooled. Extra voice is C$0.28 a minute; texts, emails and chat are not metered. At 100 doors, 800 minutes is 300 past the 500-minute pool, which adds C$84 for C$503 a month billed annually. The main number is included, and each extra number is C$4 a month.
There is no setup fee. Every plan starts with a card on file and a 14-day trial, nothing is charged before the trial ends, and you can cancel from your account until then. See the Canadian price list.
Nolan answers calls, texts on your Canadian number, website chat and listing emails, replying in the same thread. It works from your listings and your Google Calendar, finds the units that fit a renter and sends them, sends text and email reminders, follows up with renters who did not book, and transfers live calls to your team under hand-off rules you set. It reads lead emails from listing sites such as Kijiji, Rentals.ca, Kangalou, Louer.com and Zumper, and connects to HubSpot and LeadSimple.
What should a demonstration prove before you buy?
That the whole path works with your own listings, not a scripted sample. Ask for one live run from inquiry to booking:
- A renter asks about a real listing at night, by phone and by text.
- The renter goes quiet, and a follow-up arrives later.
- The renter changes a preference, such as budget or move-in month, and gets a different unit.
- A showing is booked on your real calendar.
- A person on your team takes over the conversation.
- The renter replies STOP, and every follow-up stops. The government’s texting guidance says the customer’s wishes “must be respected when that unsubscribe mechanism is used” (ISED).
Ask the same of each vendor, in English and French if you rent in Quebec. For showing tools, see the showing software comparison.