Middlesbrough has been identified as the top location for potential landlord returns in the student property market, showing an average gross advertised yield of 24.3%. This finding comes from Accommodation for Students research, which also noted Middlesbrough as one of the most affordable places for students to live in previous studies.
The research, which analysed 22,107 privately marketed student properties across 61 cities, found the average gross advertised yield across England and Wales to be 8.4%. Hull secured the second position for yields at 12.8%, with Wolverhampton, Plymouth, and Stoke-on-Trent also featuring among the highest-yielding markets.
Simon Thompson, managing director of Accommodation for Students, highlighted that several locations with strong gross yields are also more affordable for students to rent. For example, Middlesbrough's average advertised annual rent income of £24,326 was measured against an average local property value of £100,019.
In contrast, London recorded a gross yield of 5.2%, with an average advertised annual income of £36,166 against an average property value of £697,910. The research also indicated that flats with three or more bedrooms produced the highest average gross yield by property type, at 12.5%.