SOUTHEND has crept inside the top ten places to buy to let in Britain, new analysis has revealed.

The town was also shown to have the highest rent returns in southern England, according new research from credit and comparison specialists TotalMoney.

The results are said to be due to Southend’s good links to London, as well as the University of Essex’s Southend campus providing a student rental market.

Michael Whitehead, sales manager at Appointmoor estate agency, in Chalkwell, said: “In the past 12 months we have seen a good increase in the number of buy to let properties being purchased by both new landlords and existing landlord owners.

“With fantastic up-and-coming areas such as the vibrant Southend seafront, Westcliff and Leigh – which has been recently voted the happiest place to live in the UK – properties in and around these areas are a great buy for landlords who know their investment will have a good avenue of return.

“In today’s market the vast majority of properties up to £300,000 are producing rental yields of 4.5 to 7 per cent which is an excellent investment opportunity, and we have seen some houses of multiple occupancies with yields upwards of 10 per cent.

“Not only are these properties producing great rental yields, they are also situated in areas that are likely to offer a large capital appreciation over a five-to-ten year span.”

Nationally, Nottingham came out on top, offering the highest returns for landlords in the NG1 postcode, with an average rental yield of 11.99 per cent.

Second highest is Liverpool, with the L7 postcode returning yields of 9.79 per cent and in third was Cleveland’s TS1 postcode, which had a yield of 9.45 per cent.

North London had the poorest performance with five postcodes in the bottom ten.

Highgate revealed yields of just 1.93 per cent.