The UK’s best rental markets for buy-to-let landlords

December 10, 2019

Lettings management platform, Howsy, has revealed the most appealing markets for UK landlords based on the annual rental return available as a percentage of the property investment cost.

Howsy looked at the average annual rent in every area of the UK and what it equates to as a percentage of the cost of a property to find the areas that provide a better than average rental return as a proportion of overall house price.

Across the UK the current annual rent of £11,436 accounts for 4.9% of the average UK house price (£234,370).

But where in the UK sits way above this national average?

Scotland is home to the highest rental incomes as a proportion of property price

Scotland seems to be the place to invest for landlords, with 18 out of the top 20 areas with the highest annual rent as a proportion of house price located north of the border.

Glasgow tops the table with the annual rent of £10,596 accounting for a huge 7.7% of the average house price, closely followed by Inverclyde (7.1%), Midlothian (6.9%) and West Dunbartonshire (6.9%).

Burnley is the highest outside of Scotland and across England at 6.5%, with Belfast ranking 10th (6.2%), while County Durham and Blackpool place 17th and 18th (5.7%).

Founder and CEO of Howsy, Calum Brannan, commented:  

“There are a whole host of costs to account for when investing in a buy-to-let property but the most important is, of course, the rental income available.

However, high rental income doesn’t necessarily mean an area offers the best investment option and if it requires a high initial cost to buy the property, you could be recouping that investment for longer than you might in other areas with a lower rental income.

It’s about finding that balance and areas such as Glasgow not only offer a relatively affordable property cost to begin with, but the rental income available as a proportion of house price is far higher than anywhere else in the UK.”

Ranking: Highest rent as a percentage of house price in the UK
Location
Average House Price
Average Rent (annual)
Rent as % of Average House Price
Glasgow
£137,952
£10,596
7.7%
Inverclyde
£105,984
£7,476
7.1%
Midlothian
£187,531
£13,008
6.9%
West Dunbartonshire
£109,087
£7,559
6.9%
Burnley
£84,598
£5,496
6.5%
East Ayrshire
£101,042
£6,336
6.3%
Falkirk
£129,803
£8,124
6.3%
Dundee
£127,379
£7,920
6.2%
Clackmannanshire
£130,940
£8,124
6.2%
Belfast
£133,620
£8,280
6.2%
Moray
£145,701
£8,820
6.1%
Aberdeen
£148,021
£8,820
6.0%
Renfrewshire
£126,620
£7,476
5.9%
North Ayrshire
£108,525
£6,336
5.8%
South Lanarkshire
£129,643
£7,536
5.8%
North Lanarkshire
£109,094
£6,339
5.8%
County Durham
£103,320
£5,916
5.7%
Blackpool
£109,558
£6,252
5.7%
Na h-Eileanan Siar
£130,726
£7,416
5.7%
Hyndburn
£100,019
£5,652
5.7%
United Kingdom
£234,370
£11,436
4.9%

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