Landlords can prosper from surge in overseas students

The number of international students is expected to rise faster in the UK than anywhere else in the world over the next few years, according to the British Council. In terms of numbers, student landlords can expect an increase of 30,000 potential tenants - a rise of 10% on current figures. Although the next academic year is several months away, students from abroad will be looking for a home long before September. However, working out where to invest that cash with well over 200 higher education institutions dotted over the country can be a bit of a lottery. To help out property portal Zoopla has compiled a top 10 list of student letting hot spots based on yields for landlords: • Birmingham leads the field with an average yield of 7% in a city with three universities, 57,115 students and rents that have surged by 15% in two years. • Nottingham has two well-respected universities and student letting yields of 6.4% • London is home to the most universities and specialist further education institutions and the highest number of foreign students. Yields are 6.4% • Coventry also tips in with a yield of 6.4% as a city with two universities, nearby Warwick University and 35,625 students • Glasgow leads the field in Scotland with a 6.2% yield • York, Oxford and Reading all pitch in the top 10 with a yield of 6.1%. Each has two universities - but student landlords should beware of Oxford, which has the worst HMO landlord-unfriendly reputation in the UK • Manchester and Leicester both return an annual yield of 5.8% to foot up the top10 A recurring point from the top 10 is all the best yields come from cities with two or more universities where many of the most successful landlords locate properties in areas with good transport links to each learning institution.

Landlord blog

Siobhan Smith

Further reading

Landlord buy to let deal choice hits historic peak

Demand for PBSA in the UK highlights global supply imbalance

Student visa applications plummeted by 14% in 2024