Investor trend: arm’s length lets
How close do you live to your buy-to-let? Did you purposely invest locally so you could self-manage? Can you nip to your rental property to meet tenants or perform inspections?
Being close to your rental can make sense on a practical level, but in today’s market, investors are having to be bold in their buy-to-let choices to secure the best returns. Hamptons has noted a property investment trend emerging against today’s backdrop of rising inflation – one where yield capabilities are being put before convenience.
Advantages to playing away
The estate and letting agent says that so far in 2022, 71% of its investors bought in the top 50% of the UK’s highest yielding areas. To put this trend into perspective, only 57% of investors followed this strategy in 2012 – a rise of 14% in a decade.
The migration of money towards areas with the most attractive yields is best illustrated when you look at London statistics. Hamptons says almost 75% of its London-based landlords bought their buy-to-lets outside of the capital city this year, whereas less than 25% of its clients did this ten years ago.
Northern lights
So where are investors heading? Analysis by Fleet Mortgages to uncover the most profitable locations for landlords reveals that investors should be looking north. Property investors in the North East can expect yields of around 8.7%, followed by Yorkshire and Humberside – both at 7.5% – and the North West at 6.7%.
Hamptons drilled down into its data to identify more precise areas where the yields are so good that investors are willing to put some distance between themselves and their rental. Middlesbrough topped the agent’s yield chart, with a return of 8.9%, followed by Boston in the East Midlands at 8% and Calderdale in West Yorkshire at 7.7%.
The distance between us
The growth of ‘arm’s length’ property investments raises a question about accessibility. Yield chasing landlords know they won’t always find the best yields on their doorstep. When buying miles away, they are faced with a choice: appoint an untried and untested property manager – complete with a fixed monthly fee – or self-manage, knowing the distance between themselves and the let may prove problematic.
A Viewber ready to visit every UK property
Landlords looking to invest out of area can do so with confidence when they partner with us. We have a vetted Viewber waiting wherever the best yields take you – even if that’s 100s of miles away from your home Here’s how we can help create and manage an ‘arm’s length’ property investment:
Pre purchase
- Ability to view any property in the UK on an investor’s behalf
- Independent follow-up reports to aid an investor’s purchasing decisions
- Book a Viewber with in-depth local area knowledge
Marketing stage
- Accompanied viewings and hosts of open house events
- Secure key holding facility or book us to install a key safe
- Single-visit digital asset service, resulting in pro-photography, a virtual tour and a floorplan
- Meet and greet service – idea for letting in inventory clerks and EPC assessors
During the tenancy
- Accompanied check in/check out, with a key handover/collection
- Live, streamed or recorded property inspections
- Walk past or drive-by inspections
- Let in, attend and lock-up when maintenance contractors are booked
- ‘Sit in and wait’ service when deliveries are expected
Reduce fixed overheads
As a ‘pay as you go’ property service provider, Viewber allows landlords to cherry pick the times when they engage with us and to tailor a package that suits a particular property or tenancy. It’s a great solution for property owners who have one eye on their income in times of rising inflation.
If you’re starting a yield-chasing investment journey, you can tap into our network’s close proximity to every UK property and its valuable local area insights. Open a conversation with us, whether you’re looking in Leeds, Lincoln, London or anywhere else!
