£2,188 pcm – The Average Clapham Rent

The rents paid by Clapham tenants are now standing at £2,188 per calendar month (PCM), a rise of 2.25% year on year and 0.45% higher month on month.

However, this attention-grabbing monthly rent figure masks stark differences in the various different parts of the Clapham rental market. Demand in Clapham for high quality family homes with two or three bedrooms in good catchment areas for schools remains really robust due to tenants wanting access to the schools. Other influencing factors that make certain areas popular are the proximity to transport links. However, I have noticed a drop in demand (and thus rents achieved) for property where the landlord hasn’t kept the property fresh; in terms of decoration, carpets, replacement windows and poor heating.

So, what does all this mean for Clapham landlords and tenants?

With the new tax rules for landlords, many believed that the number of rental properties would narrow throughout 2017, as landlords sold up their Buy to let properties and looked to invest their money elsewhere, but evidently this hasn’t happened (yet). Feasibly Clapham landlords are re-mortgaging their Clapham buy to let properties instead, as they still believe it’s a safer investment than looking, say at the stock market?

However, demand remained strong in 2017 for Clapham private rental properties, meaning the rents being achieved were at a decent level for landlords. Keeping your outgoings low is also an important consideration and so I looked on a well-known financial services comparison site this morning and found a High Street bank offering a 5-year fixed rate for Buy to let landlords with a 40% deposit/equity for 2.17% … I can remember (as I am sure many of my readers of this blog can) when mortgage rates were at 15% - this is cheap money!

Looking at property values in Clapham, over the last 12 months and specifically at the lower of the market where buy to let landlords tend to buy their rental properties. Flats/apartments have risen in value by 1% whilst terraced properties have risen by 0.64%.

Some Clapham landlords have seen the yields they are achieving remain squeezed.

However, most landlords can start to feel assured that as capital growth in Clapham remains at a more realistic figure (good for long term stability in the property market) and long-term rents are on the rise, the overall corresponding annual return on investment (Annual ROI being annual capital + annual yield) has stabilised in all areas and is now starting to grow.

With additional people seeing renting as a long-term option, even with the challenges of the new tax regime, Clapham landlords, with the support of a good advice and opinion, should continue to see renting as a good investment vehicle.

I hope you enjoyed reading. If you are keen to take things further, be it to start from scratch, or do something a bit more interesting with your current portfolio... Start the conversation on email. I'd love to meet you in person of course at this month's Clapham Property Meet, so do come along. Click here for tickets and more info.