Landlords place their bets on urban flats amidst the return to office working

• Nearly half of workers are now returning to the office 
• Over a quarter of UK landlords now agreed that flats in the City were the best investments over rural accommodation. 26% also believed they would continue to be so in the next 12 months 

Over a quarter of UK landlords (28%) agreed that flats in cities were the best investment over the last twelve months, and 26% believed they would continue to be so in the next 12 months.With recent data outlining the upward trend in office working, with a total of 43% of workers now returning to the office, landlords are identifying the investment opportunities of city properties^[1]. 

Furthermore, other notable investment opportunities included:
•    Semi-detached properties in cities (21%)
•    Student accommodation (18%)

More widely, the number of landlords that agreed that flats in cities were the best investment is even higher in areas such as London (30%), Scotland (39%), and Wales (28%). 

Emma Cox, Managing Director of Real Estate at Shawbrook says

“The end of the flight to the countryside’ and resurgence of city living post-pandemic has not gone over landlords’ heads as investment in urban properties has gained strong momentum.” 

“Whilst the property market still remains turbulent, with high interest rates and inflation impacting buyers, landlords are adapting their strategies to diversify and stay on par with changing trends. Now may also be the right time for professional landlords to partner with a specialist lender, to maximise opportunities available and future-proof businesses against any further market challenges.” 

The research was conducted by Censuswide in August 2023, surveying 1,012 UK landlords aged 18 and over.

[1] https://www.hays.co.uk/market-insights/article/hybrid-working-policies-are-generating-conflict-between-bosses-and-staff