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

Estate Agent Talk

What Every Estate Agent Should Tell Clients Before Moving Day

For most estate agents, the job is done once contracts are exchanged, completion takes place, and the keys are handed over. For your client, however, that’s when one of the biggest challenges begins. Moving day has the power to turn months of excitement into an incredibly stressful experience, or a smooth finish to what has…
Read More →
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 9/7/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   PropTech is evolving but WhatsApp is still winning the Property transaction battle A home-moving process that a decade of PropTech failed to fix   Thought leadership by Olivier Jauniaux Founder of NestLink There are a particular series of messages, somewhere in every property chain, that decides whether…
Read More →
Breaking News

Heatwaves haven’t diminished love for south-facing gardens

The latest research from Yopa reveals that despite 81% of people saying they have been avoiding their garden during the recent heatwaves, south-facing gardens continue to be the preferred orientation of choice for UK homeowners, attracting house price premiums of over £20,000 on average. However, the insight from Yopa also suggests that should heatwaves become…
Read More →
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Rightmove extends conversational search experience to property listings 

Rightmove is launching the next stage of its conversational search experience for home-movers, bringing the innovative new capability to its property listings. The move is part of Rightmove’s approach to ensure that ‘However you discover, we have you covered’. The ‘Ask Rightmove’ conversational search experience launched on its home page earlier this year, bringing a more personalised and interactive way to search…
Read More →
Breaking News

Homebuyer demand slips in Q2 2026

Buyer demand slips in Q2 2026, with North and Midlands continuing to outperform southern markets The latest sales demand data from eXp UK has revealed that homebuyer demand in England slipped by -1.1% in Q2 2026. The analysis also reveals a continued regional divide, with a number of counties in the North and Midlands recording…
Read More →
Estate Agent Talk

International buyer slowdown one of Prime London’s biggest challenges

The latest survey of UK prime residential agents by AgentWise has found that many believe a slowdown in international buyer activity to be one of the biggest challenges facing the market today, whilst many have also noted an increase in the number of clients looking to explore property opportunities overseas rather than the UK. AgentWise…
Read More →