Middlesbrough is the highest-yielding student property market in England and Wales, with advertised rents worth 24.3% of local property values.
That is the headline finding of the new Accommodation for Students Rental Yield Report, which analysed 22,107 privately marketed student properties across 61 cities and 312 named student areas in the 12 months to June 2026.
The key figures
- Middlesbrough leads at 24.3%, on £24,326 of advertised annual rent against a local property value of £100,019, across 92 properties.
- The student-market average is 8.4%: £24,621 of rent against £293,041 of property value.
- Hull is second at 12.8%, followed by Wolverhampton at 11.9% and Plymouth at 11.8%.
- Kingston is the lowest of the 48 ranked cities at 4.5%.
- Middlesbrough’s three and four-bedroom houses return 24.3%, on £19,033 against £78,361 across 51 properties. That is the strongest three and four-bedroom segment of any city in the report.
- Five-bedroom houses in the town return 21.5%, and six-bedroom-plus houses 30.0%.
What the figures show
Middlesbrough sits 15.9% above the student-market average.
Almost all of that gap comes from the price side rather than the rent side.
Advertised rent in Middlesbrough, at £24,326 a year, is very slightly below the national student-market figure of £24,621.
It is the property value that differs, at £100,019 against £293,041.
The same effect shows up inside the town, between house sizes.
Moving from five bedrooms to six or more, the average property value barely shifts, from £149,586 to £150,541, while annual rent rises by 40% to £45,148.
That 30.0% figure rests on 13 advertised properties, though, so it is better read as indicative of a small segment than as a reliable town-wide number.
Gross yield is not profit
The report measures gross advertised yield, which is annual advertised rent divided by the price paid locally for properties of the same type and size.
It does not account for achieved rents, empty rooms, running costs, licensing, tax, management fees or finance costs.
Simon Thompson, managing director of Accommodation for Students, said: “Middlesbrough stands out because its relatively affordable property prices combine with a well-established student rental market to produce the highest-ranked gross yield in our analysis.
“However, gross yield is only a starting point and is not the same as profit.
“Buyers need to consider local demand, mortgage and tax implications, licensing, insurance, management, maintenance and the possibility of empty rooms before deciding whether an individual property represents a sound investment.”
Landlords weighing returns elsewhere can also read our coverage of how HMOs compare on returns and how yields have moved under the Renters’ Rights Act.
You can view the full Rental Yield Report as published here.
