Area:Kensington
Catergory:C
Postcode:W8
In Congestion Zone:No – 3.6 miles outside.
Parking and Traffic:Permits & Meters.  Kensington Church St & High St gets congested.
Ethnicity Bias:International
Investor ProfilePension, Business, Cash&Equity & Retirement.
Crime:ViolenceSexualBurglaryMotor
Per 1000 population161106
Yield Range:3.1% - 10.0%
Price Ranges  Low £Hi       £Low £pwHi £pwLowHi
Studio flat130,000350,0002503505.2%10.0%
1 bed flat250,000525,0002655955.5%5.9%
2 bed flat295,000900,00036010005.8%6.3%
2 bed house500,0001,100,00039011004.1%5.2%
3 bed house750,0001,700,00045029503.1%9.0%
Valuations above the London average by:190.3% (£702,147)
ActualLondon Average
 Capital growth last 12 months:-9.6%19%
 Capital growth last 48 months:159.0%89%
 Tube:High St Kensington Circle, District & Circle Lines (Zone 1) – 15 mins to Oxford Circus
 Demand For Letting:Excellent
 Average void period:2 days
Total

(out of 10)

Capital Growth

(out of 5)

Yield

(out of 5)

Out of 10:523
 Summary:It’s all good!
Sought After Streets:Kensington High Street, Queens Gate and Gloucester Road.
 

Description:

This place is an international address.  Famous for Kensington Palace prices are very expensive.  For this hotspot I direct you only to buy the studios and 1 bed flats.  Here there are places for sub £300k and you will have no shortage of tenants.  There is strong demand from not only UK residents but also from overseas.  I would suggest that you use the services of an agent as they will have the contacts to these overseas tenants who usually pay over the odds.

Service charges on these flats may be high and can sometimes halve your overall profit if you’re not careful.  I was tempted to purchase a small studio in Kensington High St for £195,000 about 6 months ago yielding around 8% but when looking at the service charges it dropped the yield to 6%.

There are absolutely no no-go spots in Kensington and surrounding areas so wherever you see something that is cheap – go for it!  There are a number of short-leased flats, less than 50 years, that are available.  The law is changing with regards to short leases making it possible to renew the lease at the end of the term for a minimal fee.  Speak to your solicitor before entering in to this type of market.  Its very risky and there are investors out there (very rich ones!) that are playing this game that can afford to lose.

 Estate Agents:NameAddressTelWeb
Simon Korn11 Curzon Street, Kensington, London, W1J 5HJ020 7499 6070www.simonkorn.co.uk
Shaws Estate Agents Ltd49 Palliser Road, Kensington, London, W14 9EB020 7386 9996
The London & Leicester Property Group17 Norland Square, Kensington, London, W11 4PX020 7727 1005
Druce & CoPetersham House, 29 Harrington Road, Kensington, London, SW7 3HQ020 7581 3771
Harpers53 Abingdon Road, Kensington, London, W8 6AN020 7938 2311www.harpers-kensington.co.uk
Farley & Company Limited44-48 Old Brompton Road, Kensington, London, SW7 3DY020 7589 1243
F W Gapp5 Hillgate Street, Kensington, London, W8 7SP020 7243 0964www.fwgapp.co.uk
Leslie Marsh & Co126 Ladbroke Grove, Kensington, London, W10 5NE020 7221 0099www.lesliemarsh.co.uk
Lease of Life EstatesUnit 304 56 Gloucester Road, Kensington, London, SW7 4UB020 7937 1687
Addison Properties273 Kensington High Street, Kensington, London, W8 6NA020 7602 6633
 Letting Agents:NameAddressTelWeb
Druce Lamy LtdPetersham House, 29 Harrington Road, London, SW7 3HQ020 7727 7123www.druce.com
Knight Frank54 Kensington Church Street, London, W8 4DB020 7937 8203www.knightfrank.com
Lurot Brand Lettings Ltd5 Kynance Place, London, SW7 4QS020 7590 2525www.lurotbrand.co.uk
Scotts (Kensington) Ltd13b Stratford Road, Kensington, London, W8 6RF020 7937 9976www.scottskensington.co.uk
Palace Gate11 Palace Gate, Kensington, London, W8 5LS020 7581 1631www.palacegate.com
Dominics Residential Lettings38 Gloucester Road, London, SW7 4QT020 7581 0154www.dominicsuk.com
Hamptons International8 Hornton Street, London, W8 4NW020 7937 9372
F W Gapp5 Hillgate Street, London, W8 7SP020 7243 0964www.fwgapp.co.uk