The North East property market hasn’t taken a breath since the New Year fireworks faded.
We’re now deep into the second full week of 2026, and the numbers are not just holding — they’re quietly tightening.
Latest live snapshot (mid-January 2026):
- Average time-to-let (managed portfolio): 6.9 days (tightest we’ve seen since Q3 2025)
- % of properties with tenant waiting lists: 54% (up from 53% last week)
- New HMO/BRR enquiry volume: +15% vs January 2025
- Top micro-market gross yields (current live comps): 10.6–11.5%
Fastest micro-markets right now (mid-January 2026):
- SR4 / SR5 (Sunderland central & east) → 10.9–11.5%
- NE28 / NE29 (Wallsend / North Shields) → 10.6–11.2%
- DH4 / DH5 (Houghton-le-Spring) → 10.5–11.1%
- TS1 / TS4 (Middlesbrough core) → 10.3–10.9%
Real deals that moved in the last 7 days:
- £178k 3-bed in NE28 → £34k conversion → £3,300 pcm → 11.1% gross
- £205k 4-bed in SR4 → £42k to 6-bed → £3,750 pcm → 11.2% gross
- £222k in DH4 → £50k to 7-bed → £4,100 pcm → 11.3% gross
What’s keeping the pressure on?
- Rent growth still accelerating (now tracking 9.1–9.4% YoY – latest ONS regional snapshot)
- Student & young professional demand continuing to set new highs (January intake numbers already beating forecasts)
- Corporate & tech relocation wave still feeding strong BTL enquiry
- Affordability gap vs South now ~£135k+ (widening further)
- Buy-to-let mortgage rates continuing to soften: 2-year fixed averaging 4.30–4.42% this week (lender panels)
Investor mood mid-January:
- “January is usually slow — this year it feels like March already” — 5 regional sourcing agents (this week’s calls)
- Off-market stock disappearing in <36 hours when priced correctly
- Institutional capital now actively scouting — first confirmed North East portfolio acquisition announced Jan 10
Bottom line for mid-January 2026: The North East isn’t warming up. It’s already in full stride. The window to lock in double-digit yields at today’s pricing is closing faster than most people realise.
2026 isn’t a recovery year. It’s the acceleration year.
The question is no longer if the region will outperform — it’s how much ground you’ll cover before the crowd arrives.
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Let’s make January unstoppable.
Happy investing from Mike Bells Property Sourcing.