Where to Buy in Bromley: Bromley (TN16) Leads at 5.6%

Yields across Bromley's 57 postcode districts show a clear pattern: Bromley (TN16) leads at 5.6% gross on 3-bed houses, while the borough median sits at 5.1%. That top yield comfortably beats the London regional median of 4.6%, though it trails the UK national figure of 5.7%. The spread between the highest-yielding outer postcodes and Bromley's more expensive inner areas is wider than the gap between holiday letting and buy-to-let at the borough level, which means where you buy inside Bromley matters more than how you choose to let the property.

Top Bromley Postcodes Ranked by Buy-to-Let Yield

Gross yields = annual income / sale price. Based on 3-bed house medians. The dashboard shows every property type and bedroom count.

Lower Entry Prices Drive the Leaders, Not Stronger Rents

Bromley (TN16) takes the top spot because of price, not because of exceptional rents. At £480,600 it sits well below the borough median of £567,623, yet the 3-bed rent of £2,253 holds up thanks to commuter demand and family housing stock. That combination is what produces a 5.6% gross yield. The same logic explains St Paul's Cray/Orpington (BR5) at number five: an entry price of £476,715 is the cheapest of the ranked suburbs, and even with the lowest rent in the list at £2,077 the yield still clears 5.2%.

West Wickham (BR4) takes a different route to a similar outcome. At £646,608 it is the most expensive in the ranking, but rents of £2,856 track the price point closely enough to preserve a 5.3% yield. This is the classic established-suburb profile: strong catchment, good transport into central London, and tenant pools deep enough that letting voids are rare. Investors here are paying closer to the capital-growth threshold than in Bromley (TN16), but rent does the work to defend the yield.

Bickley/Hayes (BR2) and Beckenham (BR3) sit very close to the borough median price and tie on yield at 5.2%. These are buy-to-let suburbs in the conventional sense: predictable tenant demand, mainstream family housing, and rents that move with the wider London market rather than running ahead of it. None of the top five are holiday-let plays because, as the next section explains, the 90-night cap leaves no room for that strategy.

The 90-Night Cap Closes Off Holiday Letting in Bromley

Any yield ranking in London has to deal with the regulatory reality first. Limited to 90 nights per year. London 90-day rule: properties without planning permission are limited to 90 nights/year of short-term letting. Applies to all London boroughs. Exceeding 90 days requires planning permission from the local council. Platforms like Airbnb automatically block bookings beyond 90 days for London addresses. Every Bromley postcode sits inside Greater London, so the Deregulation Act 2015 night cap applies to every suburb on this list without exception. That is why the borough-wide holiday let yield of 1.7% trails the buy-to-let yield of 5.1% so dramatically: modelled revenue stops at 90 nights regardless of how many bookings a property could otherwise attract. Since the Furnished Holiday Lettings tax regime was abolished from April 2025, holiday lets and buy-to-let are now taxed equivalently, so there is no tax-side compensation for the revenue cap. For a Bromley investor, the practical answer is almost always buy-to-let unless you secure change-of-use planning permission, which is not a casual undertaking.

Cheaper Postcodes Yield More Because Rents Do Not Fall as Fast as Prices

Bromley's yield pattern follows the inverse price-yield relationship that holds across most UK cities. The cheapest ranked suburb, St Paul's Cray/Orpington (BR5) at £476,715, yields within a whisker of the most expensive in the top five. An investor entering Bromley at £480,600 versus the borough median of £567,623 faces a very different capital-risk profile: less borrowed, a smaller monthly interest bill, and an easier exit if rates move unfavourably. For a first buy-to-let purchase or a portfolio rebalance, the outer postcodes are where the income-focused maths works.

Premium Bromley postcodes, the Bickleys, Chislehursts and Beckenhams of the borough, are not priced on yield. Buyers pay for proximity to good schools, faster trains into central London, period housing stock, and expected capital growth over a long hold. Their yields compress because prices have already absorbed decades of desirability; rents simply cannot keep pace at that price level.

What the Ranking Doesn't Show

Yield equals rent divided by price, which means a high yield can reflect depressed prices as much as strong rents. Bromley (TN16) yields well because prices are moderate, not because rents are outsized. That matters because buy-to-let investors care about total return, not headline yield. Inner Bromley postcodes with compressed yields have historically delivered stronger capital growth over ten-year holds, and the ranking above does not capture that component. A premium suburb yielding under 5.1% can still outperform a 5.6% yielder once five years of appreciation are folded in.

The ranking also ignores vacancy risk, tenant profile, and property-specific costs. A postcode with a thin rental pool can show a strong headline yield that falls apart after two months of voids. Council tax band, leasehold service charges on flats, and the share of ex-local-authority stock all vary within a single postcode. Land Registry medians also lag: in a fast-moving quarter the reported sale price can trail the real market by three to six months. The table is a starting point for shortlisting, not an answer.

View Bromley in the dashboard → Free preview · every bedroom count and property type

Bromley's Top Yield Beats London but Trails the National Median

Bromley (TN16) at 5.6% sits comfortably above the London regional median of 4.6%, which reflects Bromley's position as an outer-London borough where entry prices are more investor-friendly than Zone 1 or 2. The same figure trails the UK national median of 5.7%: capital growth expectations across the South East keep prices elevated, which compresses yields below what a comparable 3-bed purchase in a Northern English city would deliver. That is the trade Bromley offers, stronger long-run growth prospects in return for a thinner income yield. Westminster Buy-to-Let Yields 2.6% While Holiday Lets Can't Break Even applies the same ranking methodology to a different UK market, covers a second peer city for comparison. For the underlying figures, see the market score methodology and data sources. Data reflects market conditions as of April 2026.

This information is for educational purposes only and should not be considered financial or legal advice. Regulations and market conditions change frequently. Verify current rules with local authorities before making investment decisions.