Updated monthly from official data

Top 10 rental yield cities and areas in England, August 2026

Newcastle upon Tyne leads at 7.0% in a screen of 294 matched areas. Compare current and previous yields, rank movement, rents and house prices below.

UK HPI July 2026 + ONS private rents August 2026 August 2026 ranking

The top three at a glance

Only 0.5 percentage points separate the top three. A small change in prices, rents or costs could change the order.

#36.5%

Portsmouth

South East England

Unrounded screen: 6.534512%

What changed this month

Deterministic commentary generated from the hpi-2026-07_rents-2026-08 snapshot.

01

Newcastle upon Tyne stays top at 7.0%.

02

Gateshead is the biggest riser in the current top 10, up 3 places.

03

Southampton is the biggest faller in the current top 10, down 2 places.

04

Gateshead is new to the top 10.

05

Lincoln has dropped out of the top 10.

06

Portsmouth and Manchester are separated by only 0.0044 percentage points on the unrounded data.

07

Newcastle upon Tyne's broad gross yield is up 0.08 percentage points from the previous snapshot.

08

Only 0.5 percentage points separate the top three.

August 2026 ranking: all 294 matched areas

The first 10 are shown. Expand in groups of 10 to explore the full screen, and switch between month, quarter and year yield changes.

Yield change comparison

Previous month: UK HPI June 2026 + ONS rents July 2026. Changes are percentage points, calculated from unrounded yields.

England broad gross rental-yield ranking. The first ten rows are shown initially.
RankMovementAreaBroad gross yieldYield changeMonthly rentHouse pricePrevious rank
1No changeNewcastle upon TyneNorth East England7.0%Previous 6.9%+0.08 pp£1,215£207,5471
2Up 2Tower HamletsGreater London6.6%Previous 6.4%+0.17 pp£2,453£447,7964
3Down 1PortsmouthSouth East England6.5%Previous 6.5%0.00 pp£1,368£251,2202
4Down 1ManchesterNorth West England6.5%Previous 6.5%+0.01 pp£1,373£252,3093
5Up 2BristolSouth West England6.4%Previous 6.3%+0.09 pp£1,883£352,2627
6Up 2NottinghamEast Midlands6.4%Previous 6.3%+0.08 pp£1,014£190,2008
7Down 2SouthamptonSouth East England6.4%Previous 6.4%-0.01 pp£1,257£235,9775
8Down 2BlackpoolNorth West England6.3%Previous 6.4%-0.07 pp£719£137,3866
9New to top 10GatesheadNorth East England6.2%Previous 6.1%+0.15 pp£804£155,55012
10No changeKingston upon HullYorkshire and the Humber6.1%Previous 6.2%-0.03 pp£694£135,51110
#1No change
Newcastle upon TyneNorth East England
Broad gross yield
7.0%
Month change
+0.08 pp
Monthly rent
£1,215
House price
£207,547
Previous yield
6.9%
Previous rank
1
#2Up 2
Tower HamletsGreater London
Broad gross yield
6.6%
Month change
+0.17 pp
Monthly rent
£2,453
House price
£447,796
Previous yield
6.4%
Previous rank
4
#3Down 1
PortsmouthSouth East England
Broad gross yield
6.5%
Month change
0.00 pp
Monthly rent
£1,368
House price
£251,220
Previous yield
6.5%
Previous rank
2
#4Down 1
ManchesterNorth West England
Broad gross yield
6.5%
Month change
+0.01 pp
Monthly rent
£1,373
House price
£252,309
Previous yield
6.5%
Previous rank
3
#5Up 2
BristolSouth West England
Broad gross yield
6.4%
Month change
+0.09 pp
Monthly rent
£1,883
House price
£352,262
Previous yield
6.3%
Previous rank
7
#6Up 2
NottinghamEast Midlands
Broad gross yield
6.4%
Month change
+0.08 pp
Monthly rent
£1,014
House price
£190,200
Previous yield
6.3%
Previous rank
8
#7Down 2
SouthamptonSouth East England
Broad gross yield
6.4%
Month change
-0.01 pp
Monthly rent
£1,257
House price
£235,977
Previous yield
6.4%
Previous rank
5
#8Down 2
BlackpoolNorth West England
Broad gross yield
6.3%
Month change
-0.07 pp
Monthly rent
£719
House price
£137,386
Previous yield
6.4%
Previous rank
6
#9New to top 10
GatesheadNorth East England
Broad gross yield
6.2%
Month change
+0.15 pp
Monthly rent
£804
House price
£155,550
Previous yield
6.1%
Previous rank
12
#10No change
Kingston upon HullYorkshire and the Humber
Broad gross yield
6.1%
Month change
-0.03 pp
Monthly rent
£694
House price
£135,511
Previous yield
6.2%
Previous rank
10

Showing 10 of 294 matched areas.

Methodology and limitations

A comparable broad screen using official area averages. It is not a matched-property yield, profit measure, forecast or investment advice.

Formula

(Average monthly rent × 12 ÷ average house price) × 100. Ranking uses the unrounded result; yields are displayed to one decimal place.

Coverage

294 matched English local-authority-level areas from a configured universe of 295. Areas need both current inputs.

Separate source months

UK HPI July 2026 + ONS private rents August 2026. The rent month sets the short ranking label; the two inputs are never presented as one shared month.

Official sources

UK HPI area-average prices and ONS private-rent area averages describe different property universes. Combining them does not produce a matched-property yield.

What this screen leaves out

Gross yield excludes voids, maintenance, management, insurance, compliance, service charges, finance and tax. High yield alone does not make an area or property a good investment.

Excluded areas

  • City of London: No current rent estimate.

Check a real property, costs and local context

Use the ranking as an area-level starting point, then test a specific deal and its operating costs.

Rental-yield ranking FAQ

What is gross rental yield?

Gross rental yield compares annual rent with a property price before operating costs, finance and tax. It is calculated as annual rent divided by the property price, multiplied by 100.

Which English city or area currently has the highest gross rental yield?

Newcastle upon Tyne ranks first in the August 2026 screen at 7.0%. This is a broad local-authority-level average, not a yield for a specific property.

Does the highest gross yield mean the best buy-to-let investment?

No. Gross yield does not account for voids, repairs, management, compliance, finance, tax, property condition, tenant demand or resale risk. A higher area average is a research signal, not an investment recommendation.

Why do rental-yield rankings change?

The order can change when official average rents or house prices are revised or move at different rates. Close rankings can switch even when the displayed one-decimal yields look similar.

How often is this page updated?

The ranking refreshes when the monthly UK House Price Index and ONS private-rent inputs have both passed validation. The page always shows the separate source months used.

Highest Rental Yield Cities & Areas: August 2026