The best buy-to-let and buy-to-live locations in the UK

October 3, 2019

The latest research by lettings platform Howsy, has looked at where in the UK is currently the best place to invest in bricks and mortar to put a roof over your own head, and where is the best location to invest in a buy-to-let to combine the best of both worlds in tough market conditions.

Howsy looked at where has seen the best house price growth over the last year, where is home to the highest rental yields and where is the best option for a mix of both when investing on your doorstep.

The best buy-to-live locations

Brexit has caused house price growth to stutter across much of the UK but for those looking to invest in their own piece of property, there are still pockets enjoying notable price growth.

North Devon tops the table at 15% growth year on year, followed by Merthyr Tydfil and Blaenau Gwent in Wales, both at 13%, along with a third Welsh option in Caerphilly, up 11%.

Camden is the best bet in London with house prices up 10% in the last year, with West Devon, Forest Heath, Rochdale and Monmouthshire all up 9%, and Trafford seeing annual growth of 8%.

So you know where to live for the healthiest return on your house price but where should you invest when it comes to buy-to-let?

The best buy-to-let locations

When it comes to current rental yields, Glasgow is the best spot for a return at 7.5%, with Scotland also accounting for the next best three in Midlothian (6.8%), East Ayshire (6.8%) and West Dunbartonshire (6.7%). Burnley and Belfast are home to current yields of 6.5%, while Inverclyde (6.4%), Falkirk (6.3%), the Western Isles (6.2%) and Clackmannanshire (6.1%) complete the top 10.

So there you have it, buy and live in North Devon and invest in Glasgow and your sure to beat the Brexit blues to see an all-round return.

Founder and CEO of Howsy, Calum Brannan, commented:

“The face of the lettings sector has changed quite considerably with the advent of technology-based solutions to traditional problems, and now even the most amateur of buy-to-let landlords can own a home on the other side of the UK and manage their investment efficiently and effectively.

More accessibility via digital rental platforms now provides landlords with greater empowerment when managing their property portfolio and they can do so anytime, day or night, with greater peace of mind

The new age of letting agent not only provides this greater peace of mind but as they tend to operate on a UK-wide scale, they are better placed to deal with the day to day needs of the buy-to-let sector, whether it’s one property at the other end of the country, or a number of properties spread over different regions.

As a result, landlords are no longer restricted to investing within the local vicinity to keep tabs on their property or forced to pay exuberant fees for an agent to do so, leaving them free to buy in one section of the market and invest in another to maximise their financial gain across the board.”

Best place to live – Rankings by average annual house price growth
Location
Annual House Price Growth
North Devon
15%
Merthyr Tydfil
13%
Blaenau Gwent
13%
Caerphilly
11%
Camden
10%
West Devon
9%
Forest Heath
9%
Rochdale
9%
Monmouthshire
9%
Trafford
8%
England
0.3%
Wales
4.2%
Scotland
1.4%
Northern Ireland
1.6%
United Kingdom
0.7%
Place to invest – Rankings by average rental yield
Location
Current Rental Yields
Glasgow City
7.5%
Midlothian
6.8%
East Ayrshire
6.8%
West Dunbartonshire
6.7%
Burnley
6.5%
Belfast
6.5%
Inverclyde
6.4%
Falkirk
6.3%
Western Isles
6.2%
Clackmannanshire
6.1%
England
4.1%
Wales
3.7%
Scotland
5.7%
Northern Ireland
5.4%
United Kingdom
3.5%

 

Sources
Average House Price
Source
All UK
Private Rental Market
England
Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland

Properganda PR

National and local media coverage for property businesses. Journo quotes delivered in minutes.

You May Also Enjoy

Social Housing 2019
Breaking News

Only 1 in 10 new-build homebuyers happy

Just 1 in 10 new-build buyers got the home they wanted before moving in   The latest research from UK Property Development (UKPD) has found that just 11% of people who purchased a new-build home in the past two years were able to personalise their property exactly as they wanted before moving in. As a…
Read More →
Breaking News

One-third of tenant income in the UK goes on rent

Lomond’s Summer 2026 Quarterly Insights report reveals tenants now spend an average of 32.7% of their yearly income on rent UK average rents rise to £1,369pcm, increasing by +4.3% in the same period last year Average rent in London reaches £2,418pcm, 76% higher than the UK average The average age of renters across the UK is now 31.5   Lomond, the UK’s leading network of lettings and sales agents, has…
Read More →
Finance

Six in 10 UK businesses look to adapt operations in response to extreme heat

37 per cent have increased heat-related investment, with 23 per cent considering it Cooling equipment, including air conditioning and ventilation, is the most common investment priority (28 per cent) Barclays anonymised client data shows that air conditioning suppliers saw cash inflows increase by 4.3 per cent year-on-year into Barclays accounts Consumers claim 25.1°C is their…
Read More →
Letting Agent Talk

Weathering RRA: It’s Not a Storm, It’s the Climate

Opinion: This Isn’t a Storm Agents Can Wait Out – It’s the New Climate By Sally Lawson    “Agents are heads-down, working their asses off to survive the RRA changes, to the detriment of everything else. But in order to get where they’re thriving too, agents must refocus and rebuild to make back the property…
Read More →
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 26/8/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   AI has Changed the value of proptech and legacy technology is paying the price AI has Changed the value of proptech and legacy technology is paying the price Thought leadership by Andrew Stanton For more than two decades, the value of proptech was built around…
Read More →
Breaking News

Commuter belt property values outperform every major UK city

The latest research from Yopa has revealed that house price growth across the commuter belt is outperforming the city itself across every major UK city analysed, with the gap as wide as 4.6 percentage points.   Yopa analysed the annual rate of house price growth across 12 major UK cities and compared it to the…
Read More →