The UK rental market is thriving. Rental properties are still in high demand in the UK, but the market is beginning to cool somewhat from the extremes seen in the aftermath of the pandemic.
A report from late 2025 found that the time it takes for rental properties to become tenanted has lengthened to around 17-25 days, compared with the much faster “under two weeks” lets seen at the peak of post-pandemic demand.
Rental prices remain high across the UK, with average new rents around £1,320 – £1,349 per month and some of the strongest rental yields, often above 8%, still being found in top buy-to-let areas like Liverpool.
Property experts Savills now predict that average rental prices for UK property will rise by about 12% over the next five years, with annual growth generally running between 2% and 2.5%.
Affordable Prices Can Be Found
House prices across the UK have been rising rapidly over the last few years, making buying a property more difficult for first-time buyers.
On the other hand, investors have the opportunity to make more affordable property purchases by buying off-plan properties.
Off-plan properties – properties that haven’t yet been completed – are often offered at below-market rates by property developers.
When these properties are sold in more affordable parts of the UK, better investment deals become available. For example, in cities like Liverpool, it can be easy to find lucrative off-plan opportunities for less than £150k.
Commercial property, designed for shops and businesses, is often significantly more expensive than residential property, but some investors favour this as a way to gain more income from rental returns.
Capital Growth Returns Are High
Because UK house prices are still rising in several key regions, investors can continue to benefit from capital growth potential.
In the 12-month period to November 2025, UK house prices grew by around 2.5% on average, taking the typical property value to around £271,000.
By 2030, average property prices in the UK are forecast to have risen by roughly 23.4%, with significantly higher cumulative growth of around 27.6% projected for the North West.