14%
House prices are forecast to increase by 14.0% in the next 5 years (JLL, 2023)
22.8%
Rents are forecast to increase by 22.8% in the next 4 years (JLL, 2023)
With house prices and rents expected to increase over the course of the next five years and beyond, 2023 is the perfect year to expand your property portfolio. With this in mind, we have taken a look at some of the UK’s leading buy-to-let locations to help you decide where your next investment will be.
Below you will find all of the property investment advice you need and information you need for locations such as Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield. If there is somewhere specific we haven’t talked about please do not hesitate to get in touch, our team of specialist Property Consultants will be happy to help.
Price from
£130,000
Property type
Assisted Living
Location
Hartlepool
Investment Highlight
Price from
£130,000
Property type
Assisted Living
Location
Keighley
Investment Highlight
Price from
£144,440
Property type
Assisted Living
Location
Blackburn
Investment Highlight
Price from
£240,000
Property type
Residential
Location
Manchester
Investment Highlight
Price from
£159,000
Property type
Assisted Living
Location
Burnley
Investment Highlight
Price from
£182,000
Property type
Assisted Living
Location
Mexborough
Investment Highlight
There are so many factors to consider when it comes to investing in UK property, one of the main ones being where you want to invest. With this in mind, we’ve put together a selection of property investment guides to look at the best buy-to-let areas in the UK.
Manchester is one of the most exciting places to live and work today, with many young professionals flocking to the city for excellent employment prospects. Experiencing the fastest growth outside of the capital and leading the way in property investment, Manchester has a very promising future ahead.
Located on the River Mersey in the North West of England, Liverpool is famous around the world as a shipping port, capital of culture and a national buy to let property hotspot that has been transformed in the past decade by significant public and private investment and looks set to continue in this vein in the coming years.
Sheffield is known around the world for its industrial prowess and a highly skilled workforce which is at the centre of a booming business sector. Residents of the city enjoy an enviable lifestyle and impressive job opportunities in the South Yorkshire city as it continues to prove itself as a prime buy to let location.
Located in Lancashire in the North West of England, Preston is one of the UK’s most up-and-coming cities to both live in and invest in. Ever since obtaining its city status in 2002 – becoming England’s 50th city in the 50th year of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, Preston has grown substantially into the booming buy-to-let hotspot it is today.
Salford Quays sits within Salford, one of the boroughs of the Greater Manchester area, and is an extremely important and attractive location within the region. After substantial investment in recent times, Salford Quays is now home to huge businesses and a booming local economy – Salford is thriving.
Blackburn, a historic town in the heart of Lancashire, is fast becoming a hotspot for property investment. With its affordable property prices, growing economy, and strong rental demand, Blackburn offers an exciting opportunity for investors seeking high returns and long-term growth.
Newcastle is rapidly emerging as one of the most attractive cities for property investment in the UK. Nestled in the northeast, Newcastle offers a dynamic blend of rich cultural heritage, economic resilience, and an ever-growing population of students and young professionals.
Nottingham is an attractive city for property investment, known for its rich history, vibrant culture, and strong rental market. The city boasts high rental yields, with average returns around 5-6%, and certain hotspots offering even higher returns.
Stoke-on-Trent is an increasingly attractive destination for property investment, offering a unique combination of affordability and significant growth potential. The city offers high rental yields, driven by affordable property prices and consistent demand from renters.
Huddersfield offers investors strong rental yields, averaging around 5.43%, due to a high demand from students and professionals. The town’s strategic location between Leeds and Manchester, with excellent transport links, makes it very attractive for investors.
One of the key drivers of property investment in Doncaster is the city’s steady growth. The property market in Doncaster has demonstrated resilience for a number of years. Between 2014 and 2023, property prices grew at an average annual rate of 3.3%.
Put simply, an investment property is a property either purchased at a low price with the intention of being renovated and sold or the purchase of a property with the intention of renting it out to the Private Rented Sector (PRS) instead of living there as an owner-occupier.
Property has always been one of the most popular asset classes to invest in as it is a tangible product that the investor can have full control over. Property is also most likely to experience steady growth in value over time. Additionally, there is a huge demand for rental accommodation in the UK and more people are renting for longer periods of their lives, making UK property investment an incredibly lucrative investment option.
Investing in property is an excellent way to diversify your income whilst also protecting your wealth. The UK market in particular has seen exponential growth in recent times and continues to remain a strong place to invest.
How long is a piece of string? On the face of things, how much you make from property investment depends largely on how much rent you’ll charge, however, there are so many other factors that come together to make the potential earnings almost infinite. Whilst you predominantly earn through rental income, you can also make money through capital appreciation when re-selling your property. This sale and/or saving up rental income can allow investors to diversify and expand their portfolio to create an extremely varied, income-generating property portfolio. So really, the possibilities are endless.
The price of getting started in property investment varies depending on your own personal investment strategy as well as the location in which you invest. For example, student propertiesare, on average, much cheaper than residential properties and make for a good entry point. Whilst residential properties are more expensive, there are opportunities for lower costs in cheaper markets or even by buying off-plan. The best thing to do would be to get in touch with a property consultant and talk through your current financial status and goals for investing in property.
Choosing an investment type is dependent on each individual investor as they all come with their positives. New-build city centre apartments tend to receive higher rental incomes when compared to suburban properties, however, the latter can often increase in price at a quicker rate. Student property, on the other hand, offers much higher rental yields, however, there is not usually a markup on these types of properties. In the end, it really comes down to an investor’s individual goals. Take a look at our comparison of the two here.
Like all investment ventures, property investment has a few risks that you will need to consider before you invest. First and foremost, the housing market is not protected against external negative factors – for example, if there was a financial crash, this would have a huge impact on the property market and the value of your property may fall. You will also need to rely on high demand from tenants to receive a steady income.
Your personal investment strategy will determine what you need to look for in an investment property, so before deciding, you need to do some thorough research. You will need to research; what areas you would need to invest in to get the best returns, what kind of tenants you would want and how you would manage your properties – whether you manage them yourself or you enlist a management company. Once you have decided on all of these factors, you must then look for an investment property that meets these needs.
There is no definitive answer to this question as there are several factors that you will need to consider such as whether you want to manage your property yourself, whether you will have mortgage repayments and whether you’re buying a freehold or leasehold. However, there are some fixed costs that you can definitely expect – these include Stamp Duty for residential properties and solicitor’s fees. It is also advisable to put aside contingency money for maintenance on your property and void periods.
Yields are the return on investment per year expressed as a percentage. A NET yield is the value when all the associated costs have been deducted. As an example, a property could be achieving annual rents of £10,000 (gross rental returns) but when ancillary costs are deducted like ground rent and service charges, the actual rent is more likely to be around £8,000 (NET rental returns).
Assured NET yields are a rental assurance that developers offer landlords for a specified fixed period. This means that rental income will be assured on the property for the specified period. A number of our current investment opportunities are offering NET yields at the moment. Take a look through them all here.
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