Private landlords looking for lucrative returns will find that L6 in Liverpool is the most profitable location to buy-to-let in the UK, according to a new online tool.

The ‘Buy-To-Let Hotspots’ tool, which shows the rental yield in 2,463 locations across the UK,  reveals the average annual income a property will generate if rented out, as a percentage of the property’s overall value.

The online tool, created by windows furnishing firm Thomas Sanderson, helps to show where renting out a property can return the greatest yield, ranging from 1.12% to 14.99%.

All users need to do is enter a postcode or the name of a city or town they are interested in finding out the rental yield for and the tool will show the projections for that location and nearby surrounding areas on an interactive map.

The tool uses online property listings to establish the average cost to buy a property and the average monthly rent in each postcode, town or city, and divides the property price by the average monthly rent to figure out the rental yield.

Users are also able to see how their chosen location ranks against the rest of the UK, and shows the best postcodes in terms of rental yield in the region.

The top five most profitable postcodes to buy-to-let in the UK were revealed to be:

1.            L6, Liverpool – 14.99% (rental yield)

2.            SR1, Sunderland – 13.66%

3.            L1, Liverpool – 13.62%

4.            TS2, Middlesbrough – 13.6%

5.            TS14,  Guisborough – 13.19%

Conversely, the five least profitable locations to buy-to-let in the UK were found to be:

1.            WC1A, London – 1.12% (rental yield)

2.            TQ8, Salcombe – 1.16%

3.            N18, London – 1.35%

4.            W1J, London – 1.49%

5.            NE18, Newcastle – 1.51%

Richard Petrie, marketing manager for Thomas Sanderson, said: “If you are considering buying a property to let it out, this tool is really useful in showing you where it would be most profitable to do so and give you an idea of what to expect in your chosen location.

“It’s also interesting to see the vast difference in rental yield in different areas of the country, but not that surprising that three of the least profitable locations are in London.”