Best UK rental yield hotspots for 2023 - Provestor (2024)

FAQs

Best UK rental yield hotspots for 2023 - Provestor? ›

The top spot in 2023 – SE28 in Greenwich (6.1%) – offers almost 1% more in yield compared with last year's winner – DA9 in Dartford. Thurrock, Camden and Barking all offer good opportunities too.

The top spot in 2023 – SE28 in Greenwich (6.1%) – offers almost 1% more in yield compared with last year's winner – DA9 in Dartford. Thurrock, Camden and Barking all offer good opportunities too.

Will rents rise or fall in 2023? The rental market doesn't look likely to get cheaper anytime soon, “given higher borrowing costs for landlords and further regulatory changes which will add to the cost of investing”, said Zoopla.

The buy-to-let product transfer market will be huge in 2023, and many will be faced with no option but to stay with their current lender. Taxes continue to discourage new investors, but let's face it, property is still a reliable investment so many landlords will dig in.

Therefore, we are forecasting average rental growth across the prime commuter belt to slow to 3.0% during 2023, followed by a further 2.0% increase in 2024. In London, we expect prime rents to increase by an average of 5.0% this year and by 3.0% in 2024.

The UK housing market is facing a number of headwinds in 2023, including rising interest rates, diminishing affordability, and economic uncertainty. As a result, it is likely that house price growth will slow or even decline in the coming year.

Annual private rental prices increased by 4.5% in England, 4.2% in Wales and 4.9% in Scotland in the 12 months to February 2023. Within England, the East Midlands saw the highest annual percentage change in private rental prices in the 12 months to February 2023 (4.9%), while the West Midlands saw the lowest (4.0%).

Rents are set to rise in 2023 and 2024, adding to the cost-of-living pressure on tenants. But this comes at a time when landlords are facing cost pressures and some are therefore considering quitting the rental market. Their departure will further aggravate the shortage of homes to let.

Property prices were expected to continue to drop while interest rates remained high, but Rightmove has reported that buyer demand was 3% higher in May 2023 compared to May 2019. And May's property price increase has been the highest so far this year, so it is possible that house prices could continue to rise in 2023.

Lloyds and Halifax expect house prices to fall 8% in 2023, while Nationwide and online estate agent Zoopla are predicting falls of 5%. But while the consensus is prices will fall this year, “it's a more nuanced picture”, says Myron Jobson, senior personal finance analyst at interactive investor.

Why are UK landlords selling up? ›

Property prices have been increasing in recent years, with many landlords selling their properties in order to take advantage of these high prices. This trend has been particularly pronounced in London and other major cities, where property prices have been rising at a faster pace than in other parts of the country.

In summary: buying requires a bigger upfront cost, but renting is more expensive in the long term. A good rule of thumb is that buying a property becomes better value after around 10 years, compared to renting an identical property. Whether it's cheaper to buy or rent depends on several factors.

Despite what some may think, 2023 is still a good year to invest in real estate, thanks to advantages like long-term appreciation, steady rental income, and the opportunity to hedge against inflation. Mortgage rates are expected to decline, but the housing market is likely to remain competitive due to low supply.

Rental demand accelerates from mid 2021

Demand for rented homes remains 10% higher than this time last year. Rents will continue to rise ahead of incomes unless we see a sustained increase in rental supply or a material weakening in demand, both of which appear unlikely at this stage.

Now, however, most experts agree that increases are on the horizon for buyers in the capital. In the 2022 - 2026 Residential Report, JLL data suggests that in 2023, London is set to see the highest price increases in the country over the year at 5.5%.

At present, the average rental yield in the North is 7.4% whilst the average yield in the South is 5.2%, meaning that there is a 2.2% gap. For property investors looking to add to their portfolio in 2023, the North East and the Midlands could be areas to focus on for the highest rental yields.

Analysts at Nomura predict UK house prices will drop 15 per cent by mid-2024, estate agency Savills (SVS) and UK banking group Lloyds (LLOY) forecast prices will slump 10 per cent in 2023, while Knight Frank, another agency, is predicting a 10 per cent fall over 2023 and 2024.

“Following tentative signs of improvement in April, annual house price growth softened again in May. Recent Bank of England data had shown some signs of recovery in housing market activity, although the number of mortgages approved for house purchase in March was still around 20% below pre-pandemic levels, he said.

Latest Rental Index data: May 2023

The average rent in the UK has risen 1.2% since March to £1,213 PCM. Excluding London, the average UK rent price is 9.5% higher than 12 months ago at £1,016 PCM.

What is the most a landlord can raise rent UK? ›

Your rent can go up if you agree to it or sign a new agreement. There's no limit on agreed rent increases for assured shorthold tenants. You do not have to agree to an increase. But your landlord could take steps to end your tenancy if you do not agree.

In England, landlords must give their tenants at least 2 months' legal notice of eviction. Most private renters have assured shorthold tenancies. This type of tenancy entitles tenants to a legal notice in writing even if they don't have a written tenancy agreement.

If you're looking for a bargain, October and November are often great months to do it. Of course, there's a catch. You'll likely see a significant decrease in available properties on portals such as Rightmove. So, while you might bag a good deal, it might not be everything you wanted in a home.

The government has offered tenants some support during the cost-of-living crisis including £400 to support with energy bills. This means that a rent freeze is unlikely in England under the current Conservative government.

England is experiencing similar shortages, with recent figures showing the number of homes available to rent across the UK has fallen by a third over the past 18 months, while average rents are now £2,200 a year higher than before COVID.

The combination of persistent buyer demand and low inventory has driven property prices up. There are fewer sellers, so prospective buyers need to contend with higher housing prices. As such, if you buy a home in 2023, you're likely to pay a premium.

Homebuyer.com data analysis indicates that, for first-time home buyers, June 2023 is a good time to buy a house relative to later in the year. This article provides an unbiased look at current mortgage rates, housing market conditions, and market sentiment.

If the current property market trends carry on more or less as they are, the UK could see an average house price of £392,301 by 2050. 'This year, house prices in the UK have increased at an unprecedented rate, increasing by 26 compared to 2015 and 7 per cent compared to 2019,' says Nima Ghasri, Director at Good Move.

Track your home to see if its value is rising or falling. However, UK house prices are no longer falling as quickly as they were at the end of 2022. Buyers and sellers have started to gain confidence and reenter the market, which has slowed the price falls in the last 2 months.

Will prices go back down UK? ›

The Bank of England predicted that inflation will fall quite quickly this year. The Bank of England's current predictions are that inflation will begin to fall from the middle of this year and be around 5% by the end of the year. It forecasts that inflation will continue falling towards its target of 2% after that.

Grainger, the Newcastle company that is active in Build To Rent and claims to be Britain's biggest landlord, has enjoyed a bumper start to 2023.

Just over 4.4 million households live in the private rented sector in England, 19% of all households. By comparison, 17% (4.0 million) live in the social rented sector and 65% (15.4 million) are owner occupiers.

Sellers will have to cut prices to find buyers, says Paul Smith, whose company operates Haart, Felicity J Lord and others.

You'll earn rental income (though possibly less than in previous years). In some areas of the UK, such as Liverpool, Glasgow and Leicester, rental yield is as high as 8%, while other areas are around the 3% mark. At the same time, you could generate capital growth as your money grows as your property value increases.

Buying a house gives you ownership, privacy and home equity, but the expensive repairs, taxes, interest and insurance can really get you. Renting a home or apartment is lower maintenance and gives you more flexibility to move. But you may have to deal with rent increases, loud neighbors or a grumpy landlord.

The main reason for this was, simply, a huge spike in demand. “There were more prospective tenants than there were properties,” Ms Hill explained. “So what happens is people start over-bidding - offering huge amounts over the asking price. This in turn causes a frenzy where prices shoot up.”

Along those lines, organizations like Fannie Mae and the Mortgage Bankers Association forecast that the average rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages will decline throughout 2023, continuing into the first quarter of 2024.

Mortgage rates are likely to decrease slightly in 2023, although they're highly unlikely to return to the rock-bottom levels of 2020 and 2021. However, rate volatility may continue for some time.

Will rents go down in 2023 UK? ›

Will rents rise or fall in 2023? The rental market doesn't look likely to get cheaper anytime soon, “given higher borrowing costs for landlords and further regulatory changes which will add to the cost of investing”, said Zoopla.

The rent of an existing affordable rent tenant (including where they have a new tenancy) may not be increased by more than CPI + 1% in any year, subject to such weekly rents not increasing by more than 7% in any year for a rent period that begins in the 12 months from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.

In conclusion, the shortage of rental properties available to let in the UK is caused by a combination of factors, including high demand, lack of incentives for landlords, restrictions on property development, short-term lets, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The widening cost gap between owning and renting will put homeownership out of reach for many first-time buyers and quash the number of sales in 2023. This will cause house prices in the capital to tumble by as much as 12.5 per cent, experts predict.

As such, we are forecasting that prime prices will fall by an average of -7.0% by the end of 2023. Longer term, as the Bank base rate gradually falls and mortgage costs continue to improve, we expect values across outer prime London to rise by an average of 6.1% over the five-year period to 2027.

Our underlying forecasts suggest that property prices will rise 23% by 2020 and 97% by 2030. An averagely priced home costing £280,000 today, would therefore cost around £344,000 five years from now and over half a million in fifteen years' time.

In order for a property to be considered a good investment in the UK, it should have a ROI of at least 5%. This means that for every £1 invested in the property, the investor can expect to make back £1.05.

2% Rule. The 2% rule is the same as the 1% rule – it just uses a different number. The 2% rule states that the monthly rent for an investment property should be equal to or no less than 2% of the purchase price. Here's an example of the 2% rule for a home with the purchase price of $150,000: $150,000 x 0.02 = $3,000.

There is no hard and fast rule as to what a good rental yield is, as your return will depend on the location of your property as well as your expenditures. As a very general rule to give you a rough idea of what to expect, a rental yield of 7% is considered a very good yield for a buy-to-let property.

At present, the average rental yield in the North is 7.4% whilst the average yield in the South is 5.2%, meaning that there is a 2.2% gap. For property investors looking to add to their portfolio in 2023, the North East and the Midlands could be areas to focus on for the highest rental yields.

Which city has the highest rental yield in UK? ›

This was done by comparing the average price of a one-bedroom property in all 76 UK cities and the Isle of Man to the average monthly rental income. The results showed that Coventry is the best city to invest in property because it will return your deposit faster than any other UK city.

As a rule of thumb, between 6% and 8% is considered to be a reasonable level of rental yield, but different parts of the country can deliver significantly higher or lower returns.

Britain's biggest buy-to-let landlords, Fergus and Judith Wilson, are to withdraw from the property business, selling their entire portfolio of nearly 1,000 homes in the Ashford and Maidstone area in a deal likely to net the controversial duo at least £100m – and spark speculation that property prices have peaked.

Britain has a severe housing crisis, especially in the most prosperous places in the Greater South East. Across England, the average house costs more than ten times the average salary, vacancy rates are below 1 per cent, and space per person for private renters has dropped substantially in recent decades.

The unprecedented demand and high prices in the UK's city rental market are forcing young renters to delay major personal and professional life decisions, and taking a toll on their well-being, new research on the crisis shows.

What Is The 50% Rule? The 50% rule is a guideline used by real estate investors to estimate the profitability of a given rental unit. As the name suggests, the rule involves subtracting 50 percent of a property's monthly rental income when calculating its potential profits.

What is a typical rental yield in the UK? ›

Rental yields can be impacted by a wide variety of different things and as such, no one yield is the same. As a whole, the average UK rental yield sits at 3.63%, so anything over that amount can be considered a high rental yield area.