Best Buy-to-Let Locations UK: 169 Areas Compared

If you are deciding where to invest in property, start with what your budget can reach. This table compares 169 UK locations using average asking prices and rents, the highest gross yield available in one postcode district and a 30% deposit figure. It helps you narrow the search before you look at individual streets and properties.

Article updated: August 2026

Best Places to Invest in Property in the UK

After more than 20 years working in property, I still would not choose an area from one yield figure. I have found that spreading properties across too many places makes local knowledge and management harder, but concentrating on one street or postcode can create its own problems if that small market changes. The asking price, likely rent and running costs of the actual property decide whether it works.

The highest gross yield in the table is 12.0%, in one Bradford postcode district. The next is 11.0%, in one Sunderland postcode district. Sunderland also has the lowest 30% deposit figure at £48,568, based on its average asking price. These figures do not show what a typical property across either city will return.

A 30% deposit falls below £75,000 in 23 locations. Because these deposit figures are based on average asking prices, they narrow the search; they do not mean every property can be bought with a deposit below £75,000.

Among the Scottish locations, the highest postcode-district yield is 10.4%, in Glasgow. Four Yorkshire locations appear in the top 20; Leeds is one of them at 9.4%.

In the Midlands, the highest postcode-district yield is 8.0%, in Nottingham. The South West high is 7.2%, in Bournemouth.

169 Buy-to-Let Locations Compared

All 169 locations are included; comparable postcode yields are available for 165. A dash means we do not have enough matching data for that area. Belfast and Derry City and Strabane have no comparable asking-price or rent figures. Caernarfon and Inverness have an asking price but no comparable rent.

Highest Postcode Yield is the best gross yield in one postcode district, not the average for the whole location. The 30% deposit is a comparison figure, not a lender quote.

Source: PropertyData. August 2026 data snapshot.

Asking prices and rents are location averages. Yield is the highest postcode figure recorded within each location.

Highest Rental Yields in the UK: The Top 20

Bradford and Sunderland sit at the top of the August table with postcode yields of 12.0% and 11.0%. Yorkshire and the Midlands each have four locations in the top 20. The North East, North West and Scotland each have three.

The 12.0% figure is Bradford's highest postcode yield, not Bradford's average. A different street or property can produce a very different gross or net yield.

We fixed the deposit at 30% so every location is compared in the same way. On that basis, the figures run from £48,568 in Sunderland to £416,369 in Kensington and Chelsea. A lender may ask for a different amount. You can also compare the cheapest places to buy a house in England or add purchase tax with the stamp duty calculator.

Best Buy-to-Let Areas by Region

If you are looking for the best areas to invest in property, a UK-wide table can hide big regional differences. These are the three highest postcode yields in each region.

East of England

Norwich has the highest postcode yield among the 18 East of England locations at 6.7%. Hertfordshire follows at 6.3%. Basildon, Essex and Harlow each record 5.8%.

London

Three of the 39 London entries share the highest postcode yield at 6.9%: East London, Tower Hamlets and the London-wide entry. The City of Westminster has the highest average asking rent at £4,041 a month and a 30% deposit figure of £373,282. Our separate guide compares the best rental yields in London by area.

Midlands

Nottingham and Leicester are the two highest of the 16 Midlands locations at 8.0% and 7.9%. Coventry is third at 7.2%.

North East

Sunderland is highest among the four North East locations at 11.0%. Its 30% deposit figure is also the lowest in the full table at £48,568. Newcastle follows at 9.3% and Middlesbrough at 8.8%.

North West

Liverpool has the highest postcode yield among the 22 North West locations at 8.1%. Birkenhead is next at 7.5%, just ahead of Manchester at 7.4%.

Northern Ireland

Belfast and Derry City and Strabane do not have directly comparable postcode yields in this dataset.

Scotland

Among the six Scottish locations with comparable yields, Glasgow is highest at 10.4%. Aberdeen follows at 9.1% and Dundee at 7.4%.

South East

Milton Keynes is the only one of the 28 South East locations to reach 7.0%. Hampshire and Southampton both record 6.7%.

South West

Bournemouth and Plymouth lead the 14 South West locations at 7.2% and 7.1%. Bristol is third at 6.5%.

Wales

Among the eight Welsh locations with comparable yields, only Cardiff and Swansea are above 7.0%, at 7.7% and 7.3%. Newport follows at 5.3%.

Yorkshire

Yorkshire supplies four of the national top 20. Bradford leads both the region and the full table at 12.0%, followed by Hull at 9.6% and Leeds at 9.4%.

The full collection of UK buy-to-let location guides breaks these regional figures down by location and postcode.

How the Comparison Works

Every row uses the same August 2026 data. Asking price and monthly asking rent are averages across the postcodes linked to each location.

The yield column works differently. It shows the highest gross yield found in one postcode district, such as BD1, within each location. Gross yield is rent before finance, tax, management, maintenance, insurance and empty periods. It is not the average for the whole area.

The list mixes cities, boroughs and counties, and some counties appear alongside towns inside them, so a few areas are covered by more than one row. The asking-price, rent and yield calculation stays the same for every entry.

This is an income-yield comparison. It does not rank locations by capital growth.

The deposit is fixed at 30% of the average asking price. That keeps the comparison consistent, but it is not a lender quote. The real deposit will depend on the borrower, property and mortgage.

Where to Invest in Property in the UK: Three Patterns in the Data

All 23 locations with a 30% deposit below £75,000 sit in six regions. Seven are in the North West, five in Scotland, four in Yorkshire, three in the North East and two each in the Midlands and Wales. The 21 with comparable yield data average 7.5% on their highest-yielding postcode. Finance, condition, rent and running costs still change the result for an individual property.

The highest asking rent does not produce the highest yield. The City of Westminster has the highest average monthly asking rent at £4,041 and a highest postcode yield of 5.3%. Sunderland has the joint-lowest asking rent at £706 and the second-highest postcode yield at 11.0%. Both rent and price affect gross yield.

Plymouth records 7.1%, the same as Birmingham in twentieth place. Birmingham appears in the top 20 because locations with the same yield are ordered by name. A position at the cut-off is less useful than the underlying yield, asking price and rent.

Our guide Is buy-to-let worth it? looks at the wider costs and returns. The investment property page explains how we help buyers compare actual properties.

After comparing the full table, try our daily UK property market game and rank areas by price, rent and yield.

Browse buy-to-let properties, then open the guide for that area to check the sold prices behind any below market value property claim.

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