Birmingham Property Investment

While London was once the top investment market in the UK, other major cities around the UK such as Birmingham are starting to rival the capital in terms of investment opportunities. Birmingham property investment is the number one choice for many investors thanks to incredible tenant demand, exceptional growth and mass regeneration across the city.

If you’re looking for the best Buy-to-Let areas in the UK, then Birmingham should be at the top of your list of locations to consider.

Birmingham offers affordable properties, high potential for growth, strong yields compared to other UK investment hotspots and consistent tenant demand. The UK’s second largest city ranks as one of the most popular in Europe in which to invest and is currently attracting billions of pounds of investment into citywide retail, commercial and residential space, and infrastructure projects.

For investors, now is the ideal time to sow the seeds of a fruitful investment in Birmingham because the future is very bright and has much to offer for investors.

Birmingham has a lot to offer when it comes to property investment. Whether you’re looking for access to transport links, high-performing yields, good schools nearby or plenty of amenities, Birmingham has plenty of investment hotspots offering all of the above. Some ideal areas for buy to let investments are: Birmingham City Centre, Digbeth, Erdington, Solihull, Jewellery Quarter, Eastside and Harborne. Check out our area research guides and speak to a member of our team for the very latest Birmingham property investment advice.

Birmingham has one of the most competitive rental markets in the UK. For investors focused on long-term rental yields, a strong rental market is clearly a major positive. To establish a good rental market you need several things: affordable property, demand and above-average asking rents. The Birmingham rental market can offer you all of these things. Aside from being one of the most affordable markets in the UK, it also has a rapidly rising population. It’s expected that the population will hit 1.24 million by 2030, while rents are expected to rise again by 14% over the next four years.

Birmingham’s booming business sector is a big driver of property prices and growth in the area. A number of large companies have moved to the city in recent years including Deutsche Bank and HSBC, which has become one of the largest employers in Birmingham. In addition, PwC has already signed the lease on offices in one of the largest schemes in the city centre, Paradise Birmingham. 

This relocation to the area by a number of multinational businesses has taken place alongside major regeneration projects. From Paradise Birmingham, to the redevelopment of Digbeth and the installation of HS2, Birmingham is constantly progressing as a city and providing a better living experience for its residents.

Paradise is a regeneration project taking place in Birmingham city centre, spanning 7 hectares between Chamberlain and Centenary Squares. Included will be a large amount of modern office space (PwC has already claimed some of this), a hotel and commercial space for shops and restaurants. It isn’t due for completion until 2028, but you can see why this will be a fantastic addition to the city and become a property hotspot in Birmingham. 

Want to take advantage of the Paradise regeneration project with Birmingham property investment? Check out our area research to learn more about this development and other property hotspots in Birmingham! Alternatively you can call us to speak to an expert.

Diversification is one of the most important factors for an investor and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have a range of UK property investments. That said, if you’re just starting out or you only have scope for one UK property investment, we believe Birmingham offers the best balance of affordability, yield and growth. Manchester and Liverpool are both popular investment locales but provide different results. Manchester is a more expensive market than Birmingham and thus has lower yields (4.7% vs 5.1%), although over the last five years it has seen slightly better growth (22% vs 19%). Liverpool, on the other hand, has a lower average property price than Birmingham and offers slightly better yields (5.8% vs 5.1%) but has seen much less growth over the last five years (12% vs 19%).

Birmingham is the second-largest city in the UK, with a size of 267.8 km² and a population of around 2,736,460 in the West Midlands region. The West Midlands region comes after Greater London which holds the top spot and is followed by Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire.

Now is a great time to invest in Birmingham property. The city ranks as one of the best investment opportunities in Europe. It has an economy of £24.8 billion, which is one of the strongest recorded outside of London. Therefore, it may come as no surprise that global businesses such as HSBC, Deutsche Bank and PwC are relocating their headquarters to the city. While the Covid-19 pandemic has certainly caused some damage to the region’s economic strength, Birmingham’s universal appeal hasn’t faltered to mega businesses. With the 2022 commonwealth games just around the corner for Birmingham as well, now is an excellent time to invest.

Depending on your financial circumstances, there are a number of ways to finance your investment in Birmingham property. Some like to save up their money and pay for the property in cash. This may seem like a wise idea, except that it can tie up your cash reserves – preventing you from buying other properties or making much-needed repairs on your existing property (or properties).

Another strategy is to get a mortgage, by putting 20% down, for your investment property. While it may seem counterintuitive to incur more debt, this can actually pay off in the long-term. As rent payments come in, your mortgage will eventually be paid off. Other investors may prefer to look for private financing to purchase their investment properties, such as through a private money lender. Though financing of this kind usually requires some kind of track history as an investor, or at least some kind of relationship with the private lender, this type of financing can be quite lucrative.

Birmingham has a thriving arts scene and after London, it has more Michelin star restaurants than any other city in the UK. A variety of cultural experiences and events draw residents and tourists to Birmingham. You might be surprised to learn that more tickets are sold at the Birmingham Hippodrome than by another theatre, even the West End! And it isn’t only theatre: the distinctive Jewellery Quarter is home to Europe’s largest school of Jewellery, and the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists is the UK’s second oldest independent art gallery. More development is coming for the Jewellery Quarter, as planners want to turn it into a hub for creative businesses. 

All of this means that more people are encouraged to move to Birmingham, to enjoy its cultural offerings. This demographic is made up of many young professionals who are looking to rent now, and buy later. As property prices are still comparatively lower than London and even Manchester, now is the time to invest in Birmingham to take advantage of this thriving cultural hub.

Plans for a £1 billion regeneration project are underway in Digbeth, which the Sunday Times named as the ‘coolest neighbourhood in Britain’. The transformation will combine Digbeth’s industrial past with modern artistic influences, one example of which is the Custard Factory being redeveloped 15 acres of shops, restaurants, event space and digital enterprises. 

Known for its vibrant arts and music scene, Digbeth is already attractive to a number of young professionals looking to rent property in the area. This popularity is only set to rise with the regeneration projects that are in plan. Property prices in Digbeth are starting to rise, but while they remain at an average of £150,389, they are still affordable - So if you’re considering Birmingham property investment Digbeth should certainly be on your radar. Check out our area research to learn all you need to know about investing in Digbeth and other areas of Birmingham.