Our team has published a UK buy to let yield map every year since 2022, and it has become one of the most cited sets of yield figures in the industry. This is the 2026 edition. We have rebuilt it on the most recent official data: average private rents from the ONS Price Index of Private Rents for September 2026, and average prices from the HM Land Registry UK House Price Index for August 2026, both published on 21 October 2026.
Every yield on this page is gross: twelve months of the average rent divided by the average price. They are averages across all property types, so treat them as a guide to where rents are high relative to prices, not as the yield on any one property.
Key findings for 2026
- Scotland and the North East lead the regions on gross yield, at 6.1% and 5.7%. The South East is lowest at 4.5%.
- Newcastle upon Tyne is the top English city at 6.9%, with the fastest rent growth of any city we track at 7.9% a year.
- Manchester (6.4%), Bristol (6.4%) and Nottingham (6.4%) all clear 6.4% gross.
- Rents are still rising faster than prices. UK private rents rose 3.8% in the year to September 2026 to an average of £1,406 a month, while the average UK price rose 0.9% to £273,000. That gap is why yields have kept edging up.
- London prices are falling (2.2% down in the year), which has lifted the capital's gross yield to 5.1%, above several cheaper regions.
Gross rental yields by region
| Region | Average monthly rent | Average price | Gross yield | Rent growth, 12 months | Price growth, 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | £1,011 | £198,000 | 6.1% | +0.7% | +2.9% |
| North East | £790 | £166,000 | 5.7% | +5.3% | +3.2% |
| North West | £975 | £220,000 | 5.3% | +5.7% | +2.2% |
| Northern Ireland* | £879 | £202,000 | 5.2% | +1.7% | +9.2% |
| London | £2,338 | £554,000 | 5.1% | +3.5% | −2.2% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £869 | £209,000 | 5.0% | +4.8% | +1.8% |
| South West | £1,251 | £304,000 | 4.9% | +4.2% | 0.0% |
| Wales | £848 | £216,000 | 4.7% | +4.1% | +3.1% |
| West Midlands | £983 | £251,000 | 4.7% | +4.4% | +1.2% |
| East of England | £1,298 | £338,000 | 4.6% | +3.8% | +0.3% |
| East Midlands | £928 | £242,000 | 4.6% | +3.8% | +0.4% |
| South East | £1,438 | £380,000 | 4.5% | +3.5% | −0.8% |
Gross rental yields by city
Ranked from highest to lowest gross yield. The bars use the same scale as the regional chart.
| City | Average monthly rent | Average price | Gross yield | Rent growth, 12 months | Price growth, 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glasgow* | £1,266 | £194,000 | 7.8% | +1.1% | +1.8% |
| Belfast* | £1,138 | £185,000 | 7.4% | +2.8% | +7.7% |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | £1,220 | £211,000 | 6.9% | +7.9% | +5.8% |
| Manchester | £1,380 | £257,000 | 6.4% | +4.6% | +2.1% |
| Bristol | £1,893 | £354,000 | 6.4% | +5.7% | +0.9% |
| Nottingham | £1,015 | £190,000 | 6.4% | +1.7% | −1.8% |
| Salford | £1,173 | £223,000 | 6.3% | +3.1% | −1.7% |
| Liverpool | £916 | £188,000 | 5.8% | +5.4% | +4.7% |
| Sunderland | £710 | £148,000 | 5.8% | +4.1% | +4.6% |
| Birmingham | £1,106 | £235,000 | 5.6% | +3.3% | +1.5% |
| Edinburgh* | £1,411 | £301,000 | 5.6% | +1.0% | +2.8% |
| Leeds | £1,148 | £246,000 | 5.6% | +4.5% | +2.4% |
| Leicester | £1,020 | £227,000 | 5.4% | +0.9% | −1.5% |
| Coventry | £1,022 | £228,000 | 5.4% | +2.3% | +3.8% |
| Cardiff | £1,179 | £272,000 | 5.2% | +3.2% | +2.1% |
| Sheffield | £936 | £218,000 | 5.2% | +4.1% | +0.6% |
| Bradford | £739 | £185,000 | 4.8% | +1.6% | +2.1% |
* Glasgow and Edinburgh rents are for the wider Greater Glasgow and Lothian rental areas that ONS reports in Scotland, set against city council average prices, so their yields probably read higher than the cities themselves. Northern Ireland and Belfast use the latest available NI figures: rents for July 2026 and prices for Q2 2026.
What the map tells an investor
A high average yield is a starting point, not a decision. Three things move the real return far more than the city average:
- The building, not the city. City wide averages mix family houses with flats. New build apartments in a city centre are often let at a higher yield than the average, but they also carry service charges that come straight off the income.
- Net, not gross. Take off service charge, ground rent if any, letting and management fees (typically 10% to 15% of rent), insurance and an allowance for void periods. A 6.5% gross yield is often 4.5% to 5% net.
- Growth as well as income. Liverpool and Newcastle combine above average yields with prices rising 4.7% and 5.8% a year. Nottingham and Salford have strong yields but prices dipped over the year.
For a deeper look at a single market, see our Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds and London guides, or our comparison of the best places to invest in UK property in 2026.
How we calculate gross yield
Gross yield = (average monthly rent × 12) ÷ average price × 100. For Manchester: £1,380 × 12 = £16,560 a year, divided by £257,000, gives 6.4%. You can run the same sum on any property with our rental yield calculator, which also works out net yield.
We have not shown a single UK wide yield. The national rent average is weighted towards the rental stock, which is concentrated in London and the South East, while the national price average covers all homes, so dividing one by the other overstates the typical yield.
Frequently asked questions
Where are the highest buy to let yields in the UK in 2026?
On the latest ONS figures, Scotland has the highest regional gross yield at 6.1%, followed by the North East at 5.7% and the North West at 5.3%. Of the English cities we track, Newcastle upon Tyne is highest at 6.9%, then Manchester at 6.4%.
What is a good rental yield in the UK?
Most English regions sit between about 4.5% and 5.7% gross on average across all property types. A gross yield above 6% is strong for a mainstream city, and new build city centre apartments are often quoted higher than the city average. Always check the net yield after service charges, management, insurance and voids.
How is gross rental yield calculated?
Gross yield is the annual rent divided by the purchase price, multiplied by 100. A property bought for £200,000 and let at £1,000 a month earns £12,000 a year, a gross yield of 6%. Net yield deducts running costs first.
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Sources: ONS, Private rent and house prices, UK: October 2026 (published 21 October 2026), including the Price Index of Private Rents for September 2026 and the HM Land Registry UK House Price Index for August 2026 (provisional); ONS Housing prices in your area, local authority figures. Gross yields are calculated by Verta from those averages. Figures for the latest months are provisional and may be revised. You are welcome to cite or reproduce these figures with a link to this page. Verta acts as a marketing agent and is paid by the developer; values and income are not guaranteed. Take independent legal, tax and mortgage advice.
