Leeds Property Investment Guide

As other cities have also experienced, residents moving away from London appears to be an on-going trend which is highly beneficial for other areas of the country that have plenty to offer buyers looking for a bustling city with plenty of opportunities for career progression and an exciting lifestyle.

Leeds is one of these cities welcoming new residents with open arms who want more affordable housing, cheaper education and an overall more affordable way of life. This however hasn’t prevented property investors from reaping the rewards from great yields and as the population of Leeds increases, so does the opportunity to provide great housing to buyers.

If you like the sound of what Leeds has to offer, why not take a look at our portfolio of buy-to-let property investment in Leeds or contact our team to find out more!

Student Property Investment in Leeds

It’s no surprise Leeds is one of the top places to study, not only is it one of the cheapest cities to live in when compared to Manchester and Newcastle, but it has a diverse nightlife and an even more diverse landscape, where students can choose to spend their days in the lively city centre or calm neighbouring villages.

When it comes to actually studying in Leeds, the city is one of the UK's traditional hubs of higher education and the third largest outside of London and Manchester. There are seven educational institutes for full time study and if you combine that with a full time student population of over 65,000, the number of available student apartments is estimated to be fewer than 14,000, which leaves a huge demand for student property investment in Leeds, giving investors who purchase student investment property for sale in Leeds high rental yields for years to come.

Understandably, there is today a considerable demand for student property investments in Leeds and its surrounding suburbs, especially due to the larger number of overseas students who attended the cities universities.

If you like the sound of what Leeds has to offer, why not take a look at our portfolio of student property investment in Leeds.

Leeds Transport Links

Getting into Leeds is quite straightforward as it is easily accessible via major motorways including the M1 and M62. You can also venture into Leeds by train as it’s home to one of the largest railways stations in England, allowing for plenty of tourists and residents to travel to major locations across the North of England and of course London with ease. Future developments to Leeds Railways Station continue with the inclusion of the HS2.

Flying to and from Leeds is made easy with the Leeds-Bradford Airport, which has a huge selection of destinations to choose from across Europe and within the UK.

Numbers increase dramatically on a daily basis due to a large influx of commuters, with the ‘travel to work’ zone recognised to include much of Bradford, Kirklees and North Yorkshire. Numbers also swell during term time through the 3 universities in the city, contributing almost 65,000 students to the population for part of the year.

Despite its industrial roots, Leeds is within 50 miles of two National Parks and is just 100 miles from the Lake District. The River Aire also plays an important role in the character of the city, occupying a traditional role rather than a commercial one. Leeds-Bradford International Airport is the largest of its kind in the area and is less than 8 miles from the city centre, connecting residents and visitors to destinations around the world.

Development & Investment in Leeds

In the past 100 years, Leeds has undergone a dramatic change from one of the manufacturing capitals of the country to become one of the strongest business centres in Europe. Recent figures put almost a quarter of all workers in public, education and health roles, with another 23% in banking and finance.

There have been some huge developments to Leeds which have brought significant success: Trinity Leeds and Victoria Gate are just two successful retail developments which have provided thousands of jobs, providing much growth to the city.

The significant proportion of people employed in the financial sector is comparatively unique for the north of England – with Leeds housing headquarters or large bases for First Direct, Barclays, HSBC, Santander, Lloyds and RBS. The future of Leeds is looking bright with a range of new developments across the city.

South Bank Leeds

South Bank Leeds is a huge regeneration project that is said to be one of the biggest changes that the city will have seen in over a century. An impressive 253 hectares is going to be transformed into a space not only as a gateway for the new HS2 Station but also for leisure and creativity. The project aims to create over 8,000 homes by 2028 and an incredible 35,000 jobs.

SOYO Leeds

There’s a new neighbour-hood in town. SOYO Leeds aims to create a new modern way of living, not only through housing, bars and restaurants but plans involve large green spaces within the city centre that will give residents and tourists a futuristic breath of fresh air.

Bridge Street

Bridge Street is an ambitious redevelopment that has plans to create a new 14-story Hampton by Hilton Hotel which will have 192 rooms and expects to be completed late 2019. Bridge Street will also become home to 800 new residential units, workspaces, cafes and restaurants.

Leeds Property Market

Leeds has numerous attractions for property investors, but the list probably starts with the fact that it has a total of three universities (four if you include Leeds Art University), all of which are highly regarded and popular with both domestic and international students. Many of these students go on to join the local workforce as young adult professionals of which Leeds also has significant numbers, thanks to its robust economy.

In this context, it’s worth noting that Leeds’ combination of skilled workers and affordable commercial and residential property has turned it into a very popular business destination for companies of all sizes from solo entrepreneurs and SMEs to major household names. Putting all this together, it is unlikely to come as much as a surprise that Leeds has seen vigorous population growth over recent years and increased demand for housing as a result, creating many opportunities for investors interested in Leeds buy-to-let property investment.

Even though Leeds does not have the lowest property prices in the north, property is still very affordable compared to both the south of England and average wages and property investors can not only enjoy good rental yields from buy-to-let in Leeds, but also to benefit from capital appreciation thanks to the many regeneration projects which are still ongoing or planned, especially in the city centre.

In 2022, Leeds property sold for an average price of £257,841.

The majority of sales in Leeds were semi-detached properties which sold for an average price of £256,829. Terraced properties were the second-best seller during 2022 and they sold for an average price of £188,943, detached properties sold on average for £481,696.

Sold prices in Leeds over the last year are up 6% and up 12% since 2020.

• Leeds is home to four universities leading to high demand for student rentals
• There is a significant population of young adult professionals
• Population growth is increasing demand for housing, especially rental housing
• Leeds has a very robust economy and is well placed to withstand Brexit
• Regeneration projects are ongoing, increasing the likelihood of capital appreciation

Areas & Rental Yields

During in 2022, properties within the LS6 postcode sold for an average of £286,066.

The most popular type of property in 2022 were semi-detached properties which sold for an average price of £329,758. Terraced properties within the LS6 postcode sold for an average price of £258,043 and flats on average sold for £187,608.

LS6 sold prices were up 9% in 2022 compared to 2021 and 16% up since 2020.

The stand-out area in this postcode district is Headingly, which is highly desirable to both students and young adult professionals due to its trendy image, local facilities and excellent transport links which make it easy to reach both the universities and the city as a whole. While LS6 has a bright future ahead of it, investors might want to get ahead of the curve and look at some of the exciting development projects currently underway in the city.

The most obvious place to look is probably the South Bank scheme, which is set to provide approximately 8,000 new homes in the city centre. This could provide a great opportunity for buy-to-let property investment in Leeds, with off-plan properties sure to appeal to young adult professionals.

Another option would be to look at the developments taking place on the outskirts of Leeds, such as the much-anticipated £400m Kirkstall Forge scheme. Although this is mainly a commercial development, it will include over 100 new homes, providing investors with further opportunities for Leeds buy-to-let investment.