London lettings and estate agent, Benham and Reeves, has revealed which London boroughs have been hardest hit both where rental prices and yields are concerned and which still offer a degree of stability to London landlords.
The ongoing pandemic and a move towards working from home have seen many professional tenants think twice before moving to the capital and this drop in demand has caused rents to fall as landlords struggle to fill their buy-to-let investments.
Benham and Reeves analysed current market data across each London borough, comparing it to rental figures prior to the pandemic.
The figures show that while house prices have climbed since December, the average London rent has fallen -3.1% from ÂŁ1,697 per month to ÂŁ1,644. As a result, the average landlord has also seen their rental yield decline by -0.2%.
Camden has seen the largest decline in the average rent, down -9.2%, along with the City of London (-7%), Kingston (-6%), Hounslow (-5.6%) and Hillingdon (-5.5%). Although a total of 16 boroughs have seen rents drop over the course of the year.
The average rental yield has also dropped in a total of 19, with the City of London (-0.7%), Brent (-0.6%) and Camden (-0.4%) seeing the largest declines.
But it’s not all bad news for London landlords as some boroughs have provided a glimmer of hope for an otherwise weary buy-to-let sector in the capital. The average rent in Lambeth has jumped 8.8% so far this year, with Ealing (7.2%), Merton (7.2%), Haringey (7.1%) and Greenwich (5.1%) seeing particularly strong growth.
Greenwich has also seen the largest uplift in yields with a 0.3% increase so far this year, while Southwark, Haringey and Lambeth have also seen a 0.2% increase.
Director of Benham and Reeves, Marc von Grundherr, commented:
“It’s an incredibly tough time for the London rental sector at present with the pandemic bringing a notable decline in the otherwise consistently high levels of rental demand seen in the capital. As a result, many landlords are having to reduce their rental income expectations in an attempt to secure some form of income.
This comes on top of a string of government changes to the sector in recent years that had already dented the profitability of investing in London bricks and mortar. With London’s landlords already forced to operate with extremely fine margins, this latest decline could spur many to reevaluate their buy-to-let activity.
Yes, the declines in rent and yields may seem marginal, but they certainly aren’t in the context of a buy-to-let and it’s imperative that the government does more to help landlords and to support the backbone of the London rental sector.”
Location
Pre-Covid (December 2019)
Currently (March 2020 – Latest)
Change
Average House Price
Average Rent
Average Rental Yield
Average House Price
Average Rent
Average Rental Yield
Rental Change (%)
Yield Change (%)
Greenwich
ÂŁ399,718
ÂŁ1,404
4.21%
ÂŁ394,809
ÂŁ1,476
4.49%
5.1%
0.3%
Southwark
ÂŁ508,568
ÂŁ1,654
3.90%
ÂŁ503,092
ÂŁ1,718
4.10%
3.9%
0.2%
Haringey
ÂŁ562,022
ÂŁ1,558
3.33%
ÂŁ572,535
ÂŁ1,669
3.50%
7.1%
0.2%
Lambeth
ÂŁ521,452
ÂŁ1,754
4.04%
ÂŁ546,470
ÂŁ1,908
4.19%
8.8%
0.2%
Ealing
ÂŁ468,722
ÂŁ1,463
3.75%
ÂŁ487,322
ÂŁ1,569
3.86%
7.2%
0.1%
Westminster
ÂŁ977,456
ÂŁ3,018
3.71%
ÂŁ963,725
ÂŁ3,046
3.79%
0.9%
0.1%
Wandsworth
ÂŁ603,511
ÂŁ1,883
3.74%
ÂŁ616,711
ÂŁ1,958
3.81%
4.0%
0.1%
Merton
ÂŁ495,862
ÂŁ1,530
3.70%
ÂŁ524,429
ÂŁ1,640
3.75%
7.2%
0.1%
Barking and Dagenham
ÂŁ300,828
ÂŁ1,194
4.76%
ÂŁ302,395
ÂŁ1,208
4.79%
1.2%
0.0%
Waltham Forest
ÂŁ438,304
ÂŁ1,309
3.58%
ÂŁ451,537
ÂŁ1,352
3.59%
3.3%
0.0%
Tower Hamlets
ÂŁ452,262
ÂŁ1,803
4.78%
ÂŁ461,692
ÂŁ1,835
4.77%
1.8%
0.0%
Bromley
ÂŁ438,379
ÂŁ1,321
3.62%
ÂŁ435,535
ÂŁ1,307
3.60%
-1.1%
0.0%
Enfield
ÂŁ398,798
ÂŁ1,310
3.94%
ÂŁ395,854
ÂŁ1,292
3.92%
-1.4%
0.0%
Croydon
ÂŁ370,174
ÂŁ1,136
3.68%
ÂŁ376,180
ÂŁ1,140
3.64%
0.4%
0.0%
Newham
ÂŁ361,669
ÂŁ1,424
4.72%
ÂŁ373,196
ÂŁ1,453
4.67%
2.0%
-0.1%
Havering
ÂŁ365,810
ÂŁ1,169
3.83%
ÂŁ371,104
ÂŁ1,169
3.78%
0.0%
-0.1%
Barnet
ÂŁ522,122
ÂŁ1,523
3.50%
ÂŁ522,846
ÂŁ1,499
3.44%
-1.6%
-0.1%
Lewisham
ÂŁ412,085
ÂŁ1,324
3.86%
ÂŁ417,152
ÂŁ1,316
3.79%
-0.6%
-0.1%
Redbridge
ÂŁ420,799
ÂŁ1,318
3.76%
ÂŁ426,675
ÂŁ1,311
3.69%
-0.5%
-0.1%
Hammersmith and Fulham
ÂŁ715,115
ÂŁ2,117
3.55%
ÂŁ731,718
ÂŁ2,117
3.47%
0.0%
-0.1%
Hackney
ÂŁ549,032
ÂŁ1,834
4.01%
ÂŁ564,159
ÂŁ1,842
3.92%
0.4%
-0.1%
Sutton
ÂŁ374,018
ÂŁ1,167
3.74%
ÂŁ383,367
ÂŁ1,151
3.60%
-1.4%
-0.1%
Harrow
ÂŁ447,467
ÂŁ1,407
3.77%
ÂŁ460,179
ÂŁ1,387
3.62%
-1.4%
-0.2%
Hounslow
ÂŁ410,851
ÂŁ1,432
4.18%
ÂŁ407,440
ÂŁ1,352
3.98%
-5.6%
-0.2%
Bexley
ÂŁ337,013
ÂŁ1,106
3.94%
ÂŁ350,938
ÂŁ1,092
3.73%
-1.3%
-0.2%
Kingston upon Thames
ÂŁ488,569
ÂŁ1,390
3.41%
ÂŁ496,801
ÂŁ1,306
3.15%
-6.0%
-0.3%
Hillingdon
ÂŁ404,800
ÂŁ1,270
3.76%
ÂŁ413,445
ÂŁ1,200
3.48%
-5.5%
-0.3%
Richmond upon Thames
ÂŁ652,776
ÂŁ1,857
3.41%
ÂŁ713,067
ÂŁ1,835
3.09%
-1.2%
-0.3%
Kensington and Chelsea
ÂŁ1,229,507
ÂŁ3,053
2.98%
ÂŁ1,368,318
ÂŁ3,023
2.65%
-1.0%
-0.3%
Islington
ÂŁ638,872
ÂŁ1,914
3.60%
ÂŁ736,991
ÂŁ2,003
3.26%
4.6%
-0.3%
Camden
ÂŁ807,868
ÂŁ2,536
3.77%
ÂŁ812,080
ÂŁ2,302
3.40%
-9.2%
-0.4%
Brent
ÂŁ424,851
ÂŁ1,535
4.34%
ÂŁ487,949
ÂŁ1,502
3.69%
-2.1%
-0.6%
City of London
ÂŁ730,374
ÂŁ2,446
4.02%
ÂŁ814,665
ÂŁ2,274
3.35%
-7.0%
-0.7%
London overall
ÂŁ478,879
ÂŁ1,697
4.25%
ÂŁ489,159
ÂŁ1,644
4.03%
-3.1%
-0.2%
Sources: Gov.uk, ONS
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About the Author
Established in 1958, Benham and Reeves is one of London’s oldest, independently owned property lettings and sales agents. With specialism in residential sales, corporate lettings and property management in prime areas of London, the company operates from 21 prominently located branches and 14 international offices.