Hello Ashford Property Investors,

It’s always important to have a firm understanding of the local market when making a property investment and I have been spending some time compiling a thorough report, looking at the makeup of HMOs within Ashford and come across some data which is an absolute must for every Ashford property investor!

The HMO market can be relatively competitive, so it is vital to have a good knowledge of the local competition prior to making your investment.

As Ashford’s leading HMO agent, I have a very firm grasp of the standard landlords need to meet to achieve the maximum potential of their property and this is something I go through in detail with new investors along with current landlords looking to expand their portfolio.

According to SpareRoom, there are currently 16 rooms available within Ashford (filtered to live-out landlord only) and a basic search of rooms wanted reveals that 57 people are looking for a room!

“Ashford currently has 16 HMO rooms available and 57 people looking

 for a room. That’s over 3.5 people per room!”

My experience is that the market is currently experiencing an influx of tenant demand and this really does serve to illustrate it! The map below indicates the HMO hotspots where rooms are currently available. You will see that they are relatively spread out across the area.

I have taken my analysis on a step to compile an overview of the makeup of Ashford HMOs and the graph below certainly shows some interesting data!

It is particularly interesting to see how not every HMO include bills and internet. From my experience, the best way to let an HMO is to include all bills and have an excellent internet connection so it is interesting to see (but probably not surprising) that this is not the case with all properties.

One benefit for tenants choosing an HMO is how the property they are moving into will be furnished, however with just 84% of Ashford HMOs being furnished, I certainly think that the other 16% are missing out!

In addition to this, having some form of communal area can make a big difference – particularly as we have started to grow accustomed to working from home more! The data reflects how 29% of properties do not have this space and whilst this would lead to an extra bedroom being available, I know that having a communal space can make a big difference to how easy it is to let rooms in a property.

The next stat which is interesting to see is current HMO rents by postcode sector. You will note that SpareRoom does not currently have any live-out landlord HMO rooms available within TN25 and TN26.

This is largely down to how the areas are much more rural and therefore you tend to largely find that available rooms will be as more of a ‘lodger’ arrangement (with TN25 having two rooms available and TN26 three rooms available with a live-in landlord).

The final stat to look at is the current available HMO rooms by postcode. The first is to notice how TN25 and TN26 has no available rooms for the reason above.

Whilst an overall small number, what is interesting to see is how there is a relatively even split of available rooms between the two postcode sectors. TN23 and TN24 cover Ashford town centre, which would be why there is this relatively even split.

As ever, I trust that you found this article helpful! I always find that taking time to research the local market is so extremely valuable and if you are considering investing in an HMO within Ashford then I would be happy to answer any questions that you may have. The best way to reach me is through LinkedIn.

Hasan