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Manchester
With a gross value added (GVA) to the UK of £79 billion in 2021, Greater Manchester is the largest regional economy outside of London. It generates more wealth than Leeds, Sheffield, and Liverpool combined.


Manchester: A City Guide for Buy-to-Let Investors
Widely heralded as the capital of the north of England, Manchester has undergone a tremendous transformation in recent years with billions of pounds worth of investment and regeneration taking place.
Today, it’s a vibrant and diverse city, home to technology companies, top universities, a buzzing creative scene and a thriving start-up community. This rich mix of business and leisure opportunities makes Manchester a highly desirable place to live and work.
"Manchester is forecast to see both the highest sales price and rental growth of any UK city over the next five years"
Why Invest in Manchester
Here are just some of the reasons why savvy investors are choosing to grow their portfolios by purchasing properties in Greater Manchester.

Profit From This Northern Powerhouse
With a gross value added (GVA) to the UK of £79 billion in 2021, Greater Manchester is the largest regional economy outside of London. It generates more wealth than Leeds, Sheffield, and Liverpool combined.
Since the days of the Industrial Revolution, this sprawling city has been a hive of entrepreneurial and business activity. According to the latest ONS figures, there were 22,850 enterprises based in Manchester in March 2020. More than 80% of the FTSE 100 has a physical presence in the city.
Manchester is also one of the country’s largest retail economies, with estimated annual sales topping £900m.
A varied and diverse commercial sector, which includes everything from advanced manufacturing, finance, and professional services to digital and tech, is generating new jobs and opportunities city-wide. The science, R&D, cultural, creative, and digital sectors are all expected to grow at a faster rate than ever before in the next few years.
Serve a Large & Growing Population
A thriving economy with a diverse business and retail landscape doesn’t just attract investment. It also attracts people. World-class infrastructure, as well as a vibrant cultural centre makes it an attractive, desirable city. In fact, Manchester was voted the UK’s Most Liveable City by the Economist in 2022, as well as third best city in the world by Timeout in 2021.
Manchester has seen a population growth of 200,000 in the last 20 years. In the past 10 years alone, 20,000 people have moved into the city centre. Manchester’s population increase outstrips that of competing cities, and it’s currently booming by twice the average UK growth rate; this is estimated to increase a further 10% by 2026.
UN projections forecast the population of Manchester will surpass three million people in just over a decade.
This population explosion presents huge opportunities for buy-to-let property investors across the housing spectrum.
More affordable housing than what you’d find in London is an attractive factor, but the supply of accommodations has so far been unable to keep up with the increasing demand. A further 11,000 residential units are under construction, but that’s not enough to house the influx of new city transplants. Also attractive to investors in the knowledge that property prices in the city are expected to grow by 25.8% over the next five years – ensuring a strong return on investment for those who buy now.
It’s not only workers who need housing in Manchester, either.


Expand into Student Rentals
Manchester is home to the UK’s second largest university: the University of Manchester, along with Manchester Metropolitan University. There are roughly 100,000 students living in Manchester during the academic year- including many international students.
Thanks to the many opportunities the city offers, there is a graduation retention rate of 50% (second only to London), meaning that the city is never short of skilled labour.
This large student body represents a steady source of tenants for buy-to-let investors branching out into student lets, especially given the huge shortfall in supply. At present, there is not enough student housing available to accommodate the student population, a fact which is driving up rental prices at an accelerated rate. It is estimated that in the next five years, rental prices will grow by 15.9% in this sector.
Tap Into the Growing Short-Term Let Market
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, tourism in Greater Manchester contributed £9 billion annually to the local economy, with over 100 million day visitors and 10 million overnight stays.
Now, with the travel sector fully rebounded, visitor numbers are thriving once again, reinforcing Manchester’s position as a leading UK destination.
In 2023, National Geographic named Manchester one of the world’s top 25 places to visit—the only UK city to make the prestigious list. Since then, the city has continued to draw visitors with its world-class sporting events, vibrant food scene, major concerts, theatre, iconic architecture, and year-round cultural festivals.
Whether arriving from elsewhere in the UK or overseas, weekend travelers and city-break tourists all need accommodation. With the rise of short-term lets over traditional hotel stays, this growing demand presents an exciting opportunity—and an additional revenue stream—for those investing in Manchester’s buy-to-let market.


A Connected City
All roads lead to Rome – but quite a few of them lead to Manchester too.
The city’s airport is rightfully considered the gateway to the north: Manchester Airports Group (MAG) served 30.5 million passengers between April and September 2022. With a new terminal opened in July 2022 as part of a 10-year £1bn investment plan, passenger capacity has now doubled and Manchester airport is on track to repeat – and perhaps surpass – its pre-Covid performance in the near future.
Manchester is growing at a higher speed than the rest of the UK in many areas, including in business, population, and wealth. With intense demand for good quality rental accommodation from established locals, young professionals, students and tourists, there has never been a better time to invest in the prosperous capital of the North.