Hello readers,

In my last blog, I took time to look at how Nelson Road in Gillingham could be a fantastic area for those looking to expand their portfolio and this week I wanted to take some time to look at the three main Medway towns to see which area has fared best over the past few years.

I have been reading the latest Zoopla house price index, which you can find here, which highlighted expectations of house price growth of between 1% to 1.5% for 2025, with expectations of 5% more sales compared to 2024.

The report also highlights how there’s a surge in supply compared to the number of buyers. This makes the general climate more of a buyer’s market, good news for those looking to invest.

For HMOs, investors have tended to lean towards Gillingham. Back in 2021 when Zoopla launched their heat maps for property prices I found that Chatham was the most affordable (also, offering some great capital appreciation).

Although Zoopla have stopped making their heat maps available, I have sourced updated maps from a new location and you will see from the picture below how the Medway Towns in general do stand out as being lower priced that the general surrounding areas. This is through the darker the colour reflecting a higher price.

I have found some really helpful data that shows within each area how house prices break down. This is extremely handy if you are a property investor looking at where to purchase.

Chatham by average price

Gillingham by average price

Rochester by average price

*Map data not available

But what of house prices in general? Let’s take a look with a breakdown below by property type.

Area	Average	Detached	Semi detached	Terraced	Flats
Rochester	£342k	£527k	£257k	£282k	£198k
Gillingham	£303k	£477k	£357k	£276k	£181k
Chatham	£290k	£462k	£322k	£253k	£158k

As per my research based in 2021, Chatham one again comes out the cheapest in terms of average price – in fact, you need £54k less in your pocket to invest in Chatham that the most expensive area, Rochester for a fairly similar rental rate.

Interestingly, from looking at the growth graphs for each area, although Medway’s house prices in general have recovered since their drop in prices over the past few years it’s Gillingham and Chatham which seem to have driven this. I have seen an increase in investors getting in touch from these areas over the past six months, so it’s positive to see this data.

What’s more, with the developments taking place in Chatham Town Centre, I certainly think that Chatham is a great choice to invest today with a view of future growth potential!

If we look at rental rates you will see how, interestingly, Chatham appears to top the list when it comes to average rents.

I will go into the rental market at another time, but with the market being over-saturated with tenants looking for properties, these rates reflect high demand, increased mortgage costs and increased compliance costs.

Area	Average	One bed	Two bed	Three bed	Four bed
Rochester	£1,220	£950	£1,350	£1,499	£1,950
Gillingham	£1,135	£950	£963	£1,200	£1,600
Chatham	£1,200	£950	£1,400	£1,475	£1,950

In conclusion, whilst the Medway towns are all a great bet for investors the data here tells me that Chatham really is somewhere you might want to think about first as house prices are lower and rental rates are strong.

The question left is whether you are looking to expand this year and if so, where to. A thought that always comes to mind is the quote that says “the best time to buy property was ten years ago. The second best time is now!”

I’d be more than happy to answer anu questions you might have on this. The best way to get in touch is by emailing hasan@home-share.co.uk.

Hasan