University towns and cities like Liverpool and Middlesbrough, where property prices are more affordable, offer rental yields up to seven times higher than in London.
The findings show that two postcodes close to two of Liverpool’s three universities, L7 and L6 took the first and second hotspots for rental property investment, with yields of almost 12%. Average rents in the two postcodes were £1,162 and £1,046, whereas house prices were £118,225 and £109,940, respectively.
Middlesbrough’s TS1 town centre postcode, home to Teeside University, took third place, with an average rental yield of 10.94%. The area has average rents of £595 per month, but an average asking house price of just over £65,000, making it one of the most affordable spots to invest in.
The best yields in Capital are found in the East, with Plaistow, Manor Park, Chingford, Stratford, East Ham and Poplar all ranking in the top 10 London postcodes for rental profits. However, the lowest scoring yields outside London was Bournemouth’s BH14, with an average rental yields of 1.68% and Crewe’s CW12 follows, with 1.74%.
The research also found that all postcodes in the 25 lowest yielding areas have average house prices of more than £300,000, suggesting that more affordable house prices generate better rental yields rather than more costly properties.
Jeremy Robinson, Managing Director of Housing Hand comments: “Landlords and letting agents that let to UK and international students know they are getting some of the best yields in the country. Students today want high-end accommodation and are prepared a premium price for ensuites, plasma TVs, premium white goods, super-fast broadband and security.
Research shows that outside London, students are paying an average of £568 rent per month. We know that students will pay more for shared accommodation that is close to a university. International students have even larger budgets for a rental property, especially those coming from UAE and China. The low value of sterling means that many international students will be starting university in 2018, with a sizeable budget of between £1,000 and £2,000 a month.
We know that the no 1 choice for new students after halls is an HMO, which offers excellent yields for landlords, as each bedroom is rented compared with a family home, where there are usually only two people on the lease.
Even though many international students can’t provide a good credit history in the UK, we can stand as their UK guarantor, providing landlords with rent guarantee for the whole length of the lease, which they don’t have to fund. It’s a win win. The letting agents and landlords that work with us have been able to widen their market of tenants in university towns and cities across the UK.”
