The highest rental yield in the UK property market in the first quarter of 2024 was in the North East region, amounting to **** percent. Conversely, private rental homes in London had the lowest average gross yield, at **** percent. Rental yield is a measure of profitability and shows the annual rental income as a share of the property price. Although higher yields imply a higher annual return, they do not take into consideration the rental growth and house price appreciation potential of the property.

Prime yields for high street retail properties in the UK have increased since 2019. As of June 2025, yields were the highest for good secondary properties in markets such as Truro, Leamington Spa, Colchester, and the lowest on Bond Street in London. High street shops on Oxford Street in London had a prime yield of *** percent.

Prime yields in the office real estate market in Central London increased in 2023. In the fourth quarter of the year, the prime yield was the lowest in the Mayfair/St. James, at **** percent. At the other end of the scale were Stratford and Canary Wharf, where the prime office yield was *** percent. Yields are calculated as the ratio of the annual rental value to the cost of a property and measure the income expected from an investment. While lower yields indicate lower return on investment, they are usually a sign of highly competitive markets with strong investment appetite. In recent years, prime office yields in London have maintained levels below four percent.

The prime yields in the UK expanded across most property types between 2022 and 2025. In April 2025, yields were the lowest in the London West End offices market at *****percent. In contrast, shopping center yields stood at ****percent. Yield is an indicator for the expected return of a property investment and is calculated as the ratio of rental income and the property value. Several factors can drive yields - increased demand could raise property values, causing lower yields, while a fall in demand could create the opposite effect. Which is the largest commercial real estate sector in the UK? Office real estate has traditionally accounted for the lion’s share of the commercial property investment market, but since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, investors’ interest has shifted towards industrial real estate. With the e-commerce sector growing and supply chain management becoming more important than ever, so has the industrial and logistic sector. This increase in importance is also reflected in the occupiers market, with the annual take-up exceeding the ten-year average for three years in a row. How is the commercial property market expected to develop in the coming years? The industrial and logistic property market is forecast to outperform retail and offices in terms of capital value growth in the period between 2025 and 2028. According to the same forecast, rental growth is expected to turn positive for all property types in 2025, except for shopping centers.

Median monthly rental prices for the private rental market in England by bedroom category, region and administrative area, calculated using data from the Valuation Office Agency and Office for National Statistics.

Monetary values represent £GBPs in thousands (k). The highlighted row represents the point at which the investment has risk of becoming lossmaking.

Yields measure the amount the expected income on investments made as a percentage. Yields consider the cost of buying a property, it’s running costs and the income generated through renting the property. Yields grow or decrease based on occupancy rates of the area and industry as well as demand and confidence. In 2019, prime yields for office property in London fell below **** percent. Outside of London, prime yields in the United Kingdom ranged between **** percent and *** percent.

Prime office rents

Prime rents for office space in London are higher than the rest of the United Kingdom. The cost of rent varies due to a few factors including area, grade of property, amenities provided, and average area costs.

Vacancy rates lower than 10-year average

Compared to the ten-year average, vacancy rates in the capital of England were low. Areas such as the South Bank had vacancy rate of *** percent during 2019, which in turn is likely to further drive the cost of rent.

Historical market performance data including occupancy rates, average daily rates, and revenue trends

This statistic illustrates the European cities with the smallest annual residential rental yields as of 2016, broken down by city. It can be seen that Inner London, United Kingdom (UK), had the smallest annual rental yield at that time, with a return of *** percent at that time. Inner Paris (France) and Vienna (Austria) ranked joint second, in terms of smallest yield, both with an annual rental yield of *** percent as of 2016.

Scotland provided the highest gross rental yield for buy-to-let properties in the UK in the third quarter of 2024. The average yield in Scotland amounted to *** percent, making it one of the most profitable markets. In London, the average yield was *** percent, reflecting the highly competitive nature of the capital.

The price of prime office space in London differs significantly based on location. More central areas, including the West End, Marylebone and Knightsbridge, tend to have prime rents more than double the cost of areas on the outskirts. London office rents - most expensive in Europe When placing London alongside other major cities in Europe, the West End area of London had annual prime rents over 800 euros per year higher than Paris. In the United Kingdom (UK), average rental costs in the capital fair outweigh those of other areas. Outside of London, the major cities saw prime office rents ranging between 26 British pounds per square foot and 39 British pounds per square foot. Prime Yields Prime yields assess the return on investment expected for commercial real estate. In 2023, prime yields ifor office real estate stood between 3.75 and 7.5 percent. During the same year, office prime yields in several other areas in Europe saw far greater returns on investment.

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London is the most expensive city for office real estate in Europe. In 2023, the per square foot cost of office space in London was higher than in any other European city. In West End, a Grade A office cost about 90 British pounds per square foot in 2023. Prime offices were even more expensive, at 135 British pounds per square meter. Office yields Prime yields in Central London fluctuate depending on the district, but West End areas tend to have lower yields compared to other areas, such as Stratford or Canary Wharf. The prime office yield in Mayfair/St. James' in 2023 was the lowest among the major London office submarkets. In real estate, yields measure the potential return of a rental property and are calculated as the ratio of the property's rental income to the investment cost. Typically, prime office yields in London are lower than the rest of the UK, which is mostly due to the highly competitive market and high investment costs. Vacancy rates Despite the high office rental costs in England’s capital city, vacancy rates in many of London's main office markets were below seven percent in 2023. This is good news for the office sector, as during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the share of vacant office space across all Central London districts spiked dramatically. Compared to other European cities, London was in the middle of the ranking, alongside Frankfurt and Lisbon.

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Rental rates for London West End office real estate are forecast to see an annualized growth of *** percent in the period between 2025 and 2029, according to a May 2025 forecast. Rents are expected to grow the fastest in 2025, at *** percent. Over the five-year period, London West End office real estate was forecast to generate an annualized total return of *** percent. That was lower than the average return on investment for all commercial property types in the UK.

The prime property rental real estate market in Outer London is expected to see an overall increase in rental rates during the ********* period between 2025 and 2029. Over the ********* period, the cumulative prime rental growth is forecast at **** percent. Nationwide, residential rents have soared since 2021, with the annual rental growth peaking at over **** percent in **********.

The cost of rent for office space in London is the highest in Europe. In the fourth quarter of 2023, the West End had average rents per square foot of *** British pounds. The average annual rent in London for prime office space was substantially higher than in any other European market. Prime yields For commercial real estate investors, prime yields in London averaged **** percent in 2023. As compared to the rest of the United Kingdom, yields for prime office space in London were notably lower. Commercial investments Office real estate, which comes under the broader term of commercial real estate, traditionally accounts for the lion's share of commercial real estate investments. In recent years, however, this share has been gradually declining. Despite this trend, the UK is one of the leading office real estate investment markets in Europe.

London West End - Bond Street and London West End - Oxford streets were the locations with the lowest prime yield of high street retail real estate in the UK in 2024. Investments in properties on these streets had prime yield of ***** and **** percent, respectively. In comparison, the prime high street retail yield in Cardiff and Bristol was ***** percent.

The Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR) increased gradually since 2015 and reached a value of ***** in ************. That indicates a rental increase of ** percent since ************, the baseline year when the index was set to 100. The rental rates for mainstream properties are forecast to continue to grow over the next five years.