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Top 10 student buy-to-let hotspots

Student property remains one of the most lucrative investments available to landlords, with sky-high yields of almost 12% currently on offer.

With students heading back to university over the next few weeks, demand for student housing is currently high, but where can buy-to-let landlords investing in the student property sector achieve the highest yields?

New research from online letting agent Urban.co.uk highlights which UK universities offer the best rental yield surrounding the campus.

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According to the study, Birmingham has the best return for price of the property compared to rental prices.

The UK’s second largest city is home to both Aston University and Birmingham City University in outcode B4, which share the same rental yield of 11.66%, with an average annual rental price of £15,672. 

Teeside University in Middlesbrough (TS1) offers the third highest rental yield at an average of 10.73%.

LS2 in Leeds, where both the Leeds Art University and the University of Leeds are located, is home to a rental yield of 9.22%.

The University of Edinburgh in EH8 has the sixth highest rental yield at 8.61%, closely followed by Nottingham Trent University in NG1 with an 8.41% rental yield and Bangor University in LL57 with 8.1%.

Buy-to-let landlords can expect a rental yield of 7.65% near Edinburgh Napier University in EH11 and 7.55% when investing in property surrounding De Montfort University in Leicester LE1.

In order to calculate the rental yield surrounding each UK university, Urban used the local outcode to find the average property and rental prices of the area and divided the annual average rental cost by the average property price, giving the percentage of the rental yield of that outcode.

The best ten university buy-to-lets

University

Town

Outcode

Monthly Rent

Annual Rent

Rental Yield

Aston University

Birmingham

B4

£1,306

£15,672

11.66%

Birmingham City University

Birmingham

B4

£1,306

£15,672

11.66%

Teesside University

Middlesbrough

TS1

£482

£5,784

10.73%

Leeds Arts University

Leeds

LS2

£897

£10,764

9.22%

University of Leeds

Leeds

LS2

£897

£10,764

9.22%

University of Edinburgh

Edinburgh

EH8

£1,564

£18,768

8.61%

Nottingham Trent University

Nottingham

NG1

£1,081

£12,972

8.41%

Bangor University

Bangor

LL57

£1,079

£12,948

8.10%

Edinburgh Napier University

Edinburgh

EH11

£1,167

£14,004

7.65%

De Montfort University

Leicester

LE1

£803

£9,636

7.55%

The research also identified the worst university buy-to-lets in terms of rental yields.

Unsurprisingly, the lowest three areas for rental yield surrounding universities are all in prime central London.

South Kensington’s Heythrop College in W8 has a 2.49% rental yield, making it the least profitable place in the UK for a buy-to-let property near a university in the UK, excluding capital growth.

The average rental yield near the University of Westminster in London’s W1B is just 2.67% and the Institute of Cancer Research in SW7 has only a slight edge of 2.7%.

Properties near the University of Cambridge in CB2 have an average rental yield of 2.87%, while Anglia Ruskin University in CB1 sits at 2.92%. Despite the similar rental yield in both, CB2 has a higher annual rental average (£19,092), compared to £13,704 in CB1.

The only northern university to make the lowest rental yield list is Leeds Trinity University in LS18 at 2.93%.

The worst university buy-to lets

University

Town

Outcode

Monthly Rent

Annual Rent

Rental Yield

Heythrop College

South Kensington

W8

£5,512

£66,144

2.49%

University of Westminster

Westminster

W1B

£4,674

£56,088

2.67%

Institute of Cancer Research

Kensington

SW7

£5,512

£66,144

2.70%

University of Cambridge

Cambridge

CB2

£1,591

£19,092

2.87%

Anglia Ruskin University

Cambridge

CB1

£1,142

£13,704

2.92%

Leeds Trinity University

Leeds

LS18

£708

£8,496

2.93%

University of Bristol

Bristol

BS8

£1,276

£15,312

3.00%

St Mary's University

Twickenham

TW1

£2,052

£24,624

3.05%

Buckinghamshire New University

Wycombe

HP11

£1,000

£12,000

3.17%

University of Buckingham

Buckingham

MK18

£994

£11,928

3.20%

Adam Male, founder of Urban.co.uk, commented: “The buy-to-let market will always be a profitable business close to the nation’s university campuses despite the impositions that have been forced on the buy-to-let market of late, as thousands of students are in desperate need for accommodation every year.

“For those looking to get on the rental ladder, looking to invest near a university guarantees an annual income and one that is often footed by the Government via student loans. While it does have its negatives and can result in higher upkeep costs, investing near to one of these universities can make a great sense financially.

“Although the housing market is stronger in London and the South East in terms of actual prices, the Midlands and further north provides a much more attractive proposition in terms of rental yields and these areas are also home to some of the UK’s top universities. These are the sort of factors that buy-to-let landlords need to consider in the current landscape when looking to invest.” 

Want to comment on this story? If so...if any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals on any basis, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.

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    What a lot of twaddle.....did they somehow miss Liverpool???🤦🏻‍♂️

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    The student market in Teesside is saturated, too many landlords not enough students on top of that the outside investors (the big boys lol) spoil it for local landlords as they’ll advertise en-suite properties for very cheap prices and then they disappear as they didn’t make enough money on the property.

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    You are so great site for students looking for appartment!

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    As a some what green landlord in the early 90s I had student tenants, never again, more trouble than they are worth, and their parents were worse , I don't rent to anyone under 25 now, and students are a big big no.

     
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    So as landlords we are supposed to be so stupid that we are encouraged to educate ourselves and do Courses to achieve this. The fact of the matter is, it us who provide the accommodation to house all those highly educated people, the Albert Einsteins of the future who can't house themselves. Really and we are the stupid ones.

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    ''Highly educated Albert Einsteins of the future'' but when it comes to common sense as thick as s**t.

     
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