There are multiple factors which affect how much profit you should make from a rental property, so let’s discuss them here:
Location
One of the biggest factors that affect profit from rental properties is where the property is located. As mentioned earlier, property prices fluctuate depending on where they are located.
The location also affects rental yields as rents can change depending on what is around the property. A one-bedroom flat in a city centre is more likely to have higher rents than a similar property in a small town, as there is far more on offer in terms of jobs and opportunities that will appeal to tenants.
The rental market of major cities like Manchester and Liverpool is currently thriving because of high demand, meaning properties in these areas usually have higher rental yields than competing areas in the UK.
This will drive up demand, a consequence of which is increased rents. It will also mean there will be fewer void periods, which is important for real estate investors as this means less chance of no rental income.
Generally speaking, you want a combination of affordable property prices, high rents and high demand, as this will mean you can expect higher rental yields from your property.
Type of Property
The type of property you are investing in will also affect how much profit you can make, as different properties will be able to charge higher rents. This is why choosing the right property to let out is so important.
As a rule of thumb, the more bedrooms in a property, the higher the rent you can charge. This means flats with multiple bedrooms or houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs) will be able to charge more rent than studio flats or single-bed apartments.
However, the larger the property, the higher the costs for investors, so owning a larger investment property may not necessarily mean higher profits.
You will need to balance the cost of the property against the potential rents, so in this case, look at the rental yields. If a more expensive property has high rental yields, this will mean more profit in real-money terms.
Condition of the Property
Renters won’t want to pay top-dollar for run-down properties, and so the condition of your rental property will play a huge factor in the amount of profit you can make.
Owning a rental property that needs repairs or renovations will mean having to put more money into it after you buy, which will eat into your potential for profits and lower your rental yield.
As well as this, older properties tend to have cheaper rents, so you will be collecting less rental income each month from your tenants.
With this in mind, it is often better to invest in new-build properties, as these are not only more popular with tenants but are often able to have higher rental yields. There are fewer costs after purchase as well, so you won’t have your profits eaten into by unexpected repairs or renovations.
There are other factors which may determine your profit, but these are the three main ones.
If you are not receiving a positive cash flow from your investment, or your returns are not what you are expecting, review these aspects of your property as they may be holding you back.
If an investment is consistently underperforming your expectations, it may be time to sell and move onto a different rental property.