Still good returns for City Centre investors

There are good returns still to be had by buying apartments in established buildings!

The skyline of Manchester City Centre has changed dramatically over the past 10 years with buildings going up on every spare bit of land. A huge increase of Build to Rent (a new residential concept in the UK encompassing residential developments that are designed with the sole intention of appealing to the rental market) has seen the buy to let market become flooded with opportunity to buy brand new, off plan apartments.

By the end of 2026, there could be as many as 16,000 apartments operating across 42 separate schemes. With prices of around £500 per square foot, increasing competition in lettings and huge management fees these investments are not giving the returns that most investors require.

However, there are still good returns to be had by purchasing apartments in already established buildings. Prices of around £300 per square foot can still be found, and rents are up 3% on last year, so by looking for properties for sale in slightly older buildings there are still great opportunities for the buy to let landlord.

Don’t just take our word for it…

One of our investor’s, Greenbrook Property Ltd, has recently purchased properties with us said “I am buying in the City Centre because I’m loving the way Manchester has developed over the last 10 years, becoming the UK’s second city. I have chosen property in more established buildings because they offer an exceptional opportunity for capital growth and good rental returns. My experience buying and managing through Philip James has been very successful and takes a lot of risk and pain out of the day to day running of my portfolio”.