Discover Bradford Property Investment

Bradford has earned itself the colloquial title as the rising jewel of the Northern Powerhouse thanks to its enviable combination of competitive property prices, surplus of job opportunities, and string of investments and new developments.

The city is renowned for its cultural vibrancy which has helped Bradford earn its well-deserved status as 2025 City of Culture, denoting that this isn’t just a great city to live and work – it’s an exceptional place to grow your business and experience the best the North of England has to offer. With Savills predicting 15% property price growth for the region by 2025, Bradford is a top choice for many of our investors that are looking to kick-start their property portfolio or expand on an existing set of units. Here we look at the top reasons to invest in Bradford in 2024.

As England’s youngest city, demand for rental property in Bradford is exceptionally high, as younger demographics are further away from being able to purchase properties and thereby resort to renting. This is also bolstered by Bradford’s exceptional reputation as a hub of education, with the University of Bradford being a trusted institution that has ranked #1 for social mobility, and has a roster of 140,000 graduates.

Furthermore, demand in Bradford is set to soar upon the completion of the highly anticipated One City Park Scheme, a £35 million project that is estimated to produce 750 jobs for business professionals, thereby boosting demand for more upscale rental properties or larger, family rental units in the region.

Bradford juxtaposes beautiful 19^th Century architecture that pays homage to its status as a pioneering location for Britain’s textile industry, with its ambitious evolution into a modern city that welcomes a myriad of people. Residents of the city speak a combined 120 languages, with such breadth of culture and diversity making Bradford a brilliant home for people of all backgrounds and experiences, hence its soaring tenant demand.

This makes Bradford’s successful bid for City of Culture all the more exciting, with the 1,000 scheduled performances and 365 artists commissions arranged across Bradford in 2025 bringing the UK’s attention to everything that makes Bradford exceptional: its diversity, vibrancy and hospitality.

Touted Europe’s Emerging Destination Of The Year by 2018’s Luxury Travel Guide, Bradford is becoming an increasingly popular destination for tourists from both abroad and the wider UK, thanks to its cultural vibrancy and ease of access.

The city is well connected to international visitors thanks to the Leeds Bradford Airport which lies just 6 miles from Bradford’s city centre. Bradford will also benefit from two key rail network updates – HS2, and the Northern Powerhouse Rail lines.

This will put Bradford within 10 minutes of Leeds, and 20 minutes of Manchester, which currently takes over an hour. It is anticipated that as a result of such resounding improvements to rail connectivity and its comparable affordability, Bradford will become an increasingly popular place to reside for those working in Leeds and Manchester.

When it comes to business opportunities in the North of England, look no further Bradford. The city is home to large conglomerates such as Morrisons, Jet2Holidays and Hallmark Cards, as well as huge warehouses and distribution centres for Next and Marks & Spencers. Overall, the city is home to over 16,000 businesses, each of which has put their faith in this thriving city and now benefits from its booming economy which is, at the time of writing, worth £11.6 billion. It’s no shock that Bradford has earned itself the title of Best City In The UK For Investors according to the Levelling-Up Opportunity Index of 2022. Better yet, the city earned the desirable accolade of 2017’s Number One Location In The UK To Start A Business, as awarded by Barclays.

Businesses in Bradford also benefit from a first of its kind £200 million fibre broadband network that is designed to make Bradford’s workforce, students and general population better connected and better equipped to compete with other industry hubs across the UK.

Bradford is being regenerated at a rapid pace, with an abundance of completed, ongoing and future projects in the pipeline to keep up with residential and commercial demand for this blossoming city.

One of the most important regenerative schemes in Bradford is that of Darley Street Market, a large food court that has the capacity to house 100 vendors. Darley Street is set to replace more outdated market venues at Oastler and Kirkgate, with the former being demolished to make way for a highly anticipated City Village. City Village will offer 400 new jobs whilst maintaining its energy-efficient, low-carbon promise, which will truly bring Bradford into the new age of sustainable commercial space.

Such regeneration won’t just attract businesses and vendors, but will directly benefit the youth of Bradford, namely through the conversion of Bradford’s Odeon cinema complex into a new live music venue with a capacity of over 3,000. Equipped with a bar and merchandise stands, it is anticipated that the city of culture will be a first choice for many new and established musicians, comedians and performance artists touring the North of England.

Speaking of sustainable commerce, Bradford’s undertaking to create a city that is both bustling with activity whilst remaining conscious of its carbon footprint is set to make it a top choice for tenants. Research shows that younger generations (who are more likely to rent than purchase a home in Bradford) are more receptive to promises of energy efficiency, reductions in air pollution, and renewable energy schemes – all of which Bradford has pledged to work towards in order to become carbon neutral by 2038. Bradford’s new civic centre is undergoing regeneration to transform it into a green urban hub that encourages walking and cycling by promoting park-and-ride schemes into the city centre, thereby reducing air pollution in the most densely populated parts of the city core. Carbon offsetting techniques – namely the strategic planting of trees and other greenery – will also be used to make Bradford a more welcoming, greener place to live and work.

Bradford offers far more reasonable living costs when compared to London, or even nearby Leeds and Manchester, making it a prime location for tenants. In each type of property – from studios to four-bedroom properties – Bradford remains far more competitive than comparable cities, without compromising on key factors such as opportunity, inner-city amenities and educational facilities. This makes Bradford a first-choice location for those looking to move to or around the UK, especially when considering that average rental costs are a fraction of the price when compared to neighbouring cities. In Bradford, tenants do not have to sacrifice brilliant living standards in order to make their money go further.

For investors, this bodes extremely well for their rental yields, with Bradford’s competitive rental prices ensuring fewer void periods and therefore a swifter return on investment. Compared to neighbouring Leeds, the average purchase price of a property in Bradford is £90,000 cheaper, which could make it feasible for some investors to purchase multiple buy-to-let units in Bradford and grow a diverse portfolio, as opposed to a single unit in a more expensive city.