Why Doncaster’s connectivity makes it lead the pack for HMO investment
September 2, 2026
We have operated in and around Doncaster for over 34 years, and one of the reasons we have remained so confident in the city is its location.
Doncaster is not trying to become the next Manchester or Leeds. It does not need to. Its strength is that it sits in a position which gives residents access to an unusually large part of the country without bringing the property prices you would expect in southern commuter towns or larger regional cities.
For professional HMO tenants, that matters. For investors, it matters just as much.
Connectivity without capital-city pricing
The M1 corridor and direct rail links to London, Manchester and Leeds give South Yorkshire commuter-relevant connectivity, a factor normally used to justify premium pricing in southern commuter towns, without the acquisition cost that comes with it.
That gap between connectivity and property pricing is one of the reasons we continue to like Doncaster.
Investors in southern commuter areas are often paying enormous premiums simply for access to a fast rail service or a major road. In Doncaster, those transport links already exist, yet the underlying residential property remains far more affordable.
That leaves far more room in the numbers when developing a professional HMO properly.
Instead of sinking a huge proportion of the investment into the initial purchase price, capital can go into the property itself: proper en-suites, sensible room sizes, good communal areas, insulation, heating, fire compliance, furniture and the practical details that determine whether tenants actually want to stay there.
Doncaster’s road position is difficult to ignore
The M18, A1(M) and access towards the M1 place Doncaster in a very useful position for anyone who works across Yorkshire or the wider North.
Sheffield is close. Leeds is accessible. Nottingham, York, Hull and the surrounding employment areas are all within realistic travelling distance.
That matters because the professional tenant market is not restricted to people who work within Doncaster city centre.
A tenant could work around the iPort, commute towards Sheffield, travel north for work or spend part of the week in another city entirely. The location gives them choices, which is exactly what you want from a rental market.
The railway station does a lot of heavy lifting
Doncaster’s rail connection is one of the strongest parts of the city.
Direct trains run to London King’s Cross, while Leeds, Sheffield and several other major destinations are easily accessible.
That gives Doncaster something which is normally associated with far more expensive residential markets: fast national connectivity without the southern property price attached to it.
For investors looking at the North, that difference is difficult to dismiss.
You can buy a substantial property in Doncaster for a figure that would barely get you started in many southern commuter locations, yet the tenant can still get on a direct train to London.
We have really missed Doncaster Sheffield Airport
The airport is another big part of the story, and we have genuinely missed it while it has been closed.
It was a fantastic airport to use before its closure and we are looking forward to seeing it operational again. It was easy to get to, straightforward to use and far less stressful than some of the alternatives.
Anyone travelling from our part of South Yorkshire will know exactly what we mean.
Leeds Bradford Airport is not exactly sitting in the middle of Leeds. It is further out than people often expect and the route can be surprisingly awkward. Nice scenery in places, though.
Manchester is a different battle altogether. Once you have escaped the motorway gridlock, you can quite easily find yourself crawling along another collection of clogged roads on the final approach to the airport.
Doncaster was never like that.
It was one of those airports where the journey itself did not feel like half the holiday.
Freight is where Doncaster Airport gets even more interesting
Passenger flights are only part of the reason we are pleased to see the airport coming back.
Doncaster Sheffield Airport has serious freight capability.
Its 2,895 metre runway can handle large cargo aircraft, while its position close to the M18, A1(M), M1 corridor and the wider Doncaster logistics network gives it a very obvious commercial advantage.
For freight operators, being able to land cargo and move it quickly onto the motorway network is far more useful than having an airport surrounded by difficult road access.
Doncaster already has a strong logistics economy. The airport fits naturally into it.
That is why reopening it makes so much sense.
The airport adds another layer to Doncaster’s employment story
A functioning airport creates much more than airport jobs.
Freight, logistics, maintenance, engineering, security, administration, hospitality and surrounding commercial activity all feed into the local employment base.
That sits alongside an economy which already benefits from major logistics and distribution employers around the city.
From our point of view, this is the type of growth that matters.
We are not interested in glossy regeneration brochures or vague promises about what might happen in 15 years. We care about actual jobs, actual transport infrastructure and whether people have a reason to live in the area.
Doncaster continues to tick those boxes.
Why this works so well for professional HMOs
Our HMO strategy is based around professional tenants.
We are not developing student houses and hoping an academic calendar fills them every year. We want properties in locations where people are working, commuting and building their lives.
Doncaster suits that model because tenants are not trapped within one local employment market.
They can work locally, travel towards Sheffield or Leeds, use the rail network for longer journeys and, once the airport is fully operational again, have another major transport option on their doorstep.
That is a far healthier rental base than relying on one university, one hospital or one major employer.
Doncaster still offers sensible property prices
This is where the city becomes particularly attractive for investors.
Connectivity is useful, but not if the purchase price destroys the rental return.
Plenty of UK cities have excellent transport links. The problem is that investors are being asked to pay so much for the underlying property that the numbers become increasingly difficult to justify.
Doncaster has not reached that point.
We can still acquire the type of larger residential properties that work well for five and six-bedroom professional HMOs without paying the inflated prices seen in Manchester, Leeds or many southern markets.
That gives us more control over the finished investment and allows the property to be developed properly rather than trying to save money on the refurbishment because too much capital disappeared into the purchase price.
Why we believe Doncaster is moving further ahead
Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Newcastle are always going to attract attention from property investors.
They are large cities and they are easy names to sell.
We would rather look at what the investor is actually buying.
Doncaster has comparatively affordable residential property, strong road links, direct national rail services, a sizeable logistics economy and an airport returning to operation with genuine freight capability.
That collection of infrastructure gives the city a very strong base.
The reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport only strengthens it further.
For us, it pushes Doncaster even further ahead of Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Newcastle when we are assessing where professional HMO investment makes the most sense.
Not because Doncaster has the biggest name.
Because the numbers, employment and connectivity work together.
Fully managed HMO developments in Doncaster
We have spent over 34 years developing and managing investment property, and Doncaster remains one of the areas we are most comfortable putting investor capital into.
Our professional HMOs are generally developed as five or six-bedroom, all en-suite properties and are managed through our own in-house operation once complete.
We handle the process from acquisition and development through to compliance, tenanting and ongoing management.
The city gives us the property stock we need, the professional tenant demand we want and the transport infrastructure that helps keep that demand broad.
The airport coming back is another very welcome piece of that picture.
You can view our current fully managed HMO developments here: