Whether you are looking to add to your property portfolio or are hoping to invest in your first buy-to-let house or apartment, Rightmove - the UK's number one property website - should be your first port of call for the most accurate, up-to-the-minute information about house prices.
With over 90% of all estate agents in the United Kingdom showcasing their properties on Rightmove, we are ideally placed to help you find that initial house that gets your rental business up and running.
The buy-to-let market has grown, and continues to grow, thanks in no small part to the fact the UK is experiencing a housing shortage. An increasing population has led to a shortfall in available properties and, as a result, house prices in many areas have risen to unaffordable levels for a lot of people - especially first-time buyers. This has meant that people have been forced to rent instead.
As a potential landlord, you will spend months scrutinising house prices, viewing apartments and eventually purchasing a property, with one eventual aim firmly in mind: to make money from the buy-to-let property market. So what exactly are the ways in which money can be made through property letting?
There are two revenue streams for landlords - capital growth and rental yield. Capital growth, which can also be known as capital appreciation, is when the value of your buy-to-let property increases over time. It's important to recognise, however, that while property value goes up, it can also come down. Local house prices and market conditions can have a significant effect on capital growth.
Rental yield, meanwhile, is the amount of money you will receive from your tenant(s) in rent, As rental market conditions change over time, the hope is that you will be able to increase your letting income by raising rent as well.
As the UK's number one property website, Rightmove can help landlords in several different ways. You can use our respected House Price Index to ascertain the cost of properties in your area; you can easily find available houses with the intention of buying and renting them out; and you can also find a tenant by showcasing your rental property on our website.
Finding a property that will reward you with a good level of capital growth and rental yield isn't easy. Long before you start studying house prices or buying a property for letting purposes, you should endeavour to understand what will appeal to tenants as well as what your responsibilities as a landlord will be. Successful buying-to-let is dependent on, among other things: