What counts as a good rental yield?

There is no single number, and anyone quoting one is usually selling something.

Gross yields in much of the south of England sit between 4% and 6%. Parts of the north and Scotland run higher, sometimes 8% or more, because purchase prices are lower against rents. A higher yield often comes with lower capital growth, more wear and more voids.

What matters more than the headline figure is whether the numbers still work when a rate changes, when the boiler goes, and when the place is empty for six weeks. Yield on its own tells you almost nothing about that.