The lettings market in Southampton has always been strong, given the City’s appeal to students, young professionals and families.

After more than 20 years specialising in lettings here, we are well aware of Southampton’s popularity with renters, and of the many investment opportunities it offers landlords.

Following a busy summer, there is currently an acute shortage of good quality one and two bedroom properties in the city centre, which is the most sought after property type. The moment these become available they are being snapped up by waiting tenants. We could let them several times over if it were possible!

This shortage of property is due in part to the improvement in the sales market, which has motivated some landlords to sell; but also because tenants are staying longer in their rented homes and therefore fewer are becoming available to re-let.

All this makes it an excellent time for the investor landlord. With longer tenancies – on average around 2.5 years - there is more security, less worry about having to find tenants between tenancies and less risk of the property staying empty for any significant period of time. Rents are strong and yields of around 4-5% are achievable, depending on what and where you buy.

With the £3 billion investment plan which is now underway in Southampton and which will produce 24,000 new jobs by 2030, we expect to see continually increasing demand for rented properties in the years to come. It is therefore vital that new investors enter the market in order to keep pace with demand and for rents to stay at a reasonable level. Investors can expect good capital growth as well as a reliable monthly income in these extremely favourable market conditions.

However, no investment is guaranteed to succeed and it is therefore crucial to get impartial, expert advice when choosing your buy-to-let property. Location, property type and presentation are all key, as is getting your sums right from the start. Would-be investors should contact any of our three Southampton branches for advice on how to get the best from the market and maximise their returns before committing to a purchase.

For landlords who already have a property to rent out - now or in the near future - we have a long list of good quality, fully vetted applicants waiting for properties. We are often the first port of call for tenants, local businesses and relocation agents looking for properties to rent and are confident we can let any well presented property very quickly to the right tenants.

The Leaders teams in Southampton, Sarisbury Green and Eastleigh are local letting experts, backed by the UK’s largest independently owned letting specialist. Established by the co-founder of the Association of Residential Letting Agents in 1983 (ARLA), Leaders provides financial probity and rigorous standards in letting and property management. Membership of ARLA, SAFEagent and The Property Ombudsman gives landlords and tenants complete peace of mind.

For advice you can trust on all aspects of letting, renting or buy-to-let please contact your local Leaders branch: Southampton, London Road: 02380 633446, Southampton, Ocean Village: 02380 632288, Sarisbury Green: 01489 573999, Bitterne: 02380 436000, Eastleigh: 02380 900808 Follow Leaders on Twitter: @LeadersHants