The Scottish Property Podcast

Scotland-wide rents have fallen slightly—but some local markets are still recording strong growth. So where is tenant demand holding up, and what should property investors take from the latest figures?

In this August market update, Nick and Steven examine the latest Citylets rental data and Zoopla house-price figures. They discuss why Glasgow’s one-bedroom flats are outperforming the wider market, how rents in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee compare, and why investors must research the specific area and property type rather than relying on national averages.

They also discuss England’s response to Scotland’s experience with rent controls, the importance of reinvesting in ageing rental properties and whether younger people should buy their own home first—or use that money to build an income-producing portfolio.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
• Why England is reconsidering rent controls after Scotland’s experience
• Scotland-wide rents falling marginally by 0.2%
• Why demand for one-bedroom flats remains strong in Glasgow
• Average one-bedroom rents of approximately £912 in Glasgow and £1,095 in Edinburgh
• Why Aberdeen’s rental growth is now outperforming Glasgow and Edinburgh
• Dundee rents rising by approximately 2.7%
• South Lanarkshire recording 6.4% growth across all property types and 10.5% for one-bedroom homes
• Why national property data can hide significant differences between local markets
• The dated rental properties struggling to compete with refurbished homes
• Why landlords must budget for new kitchens, bathrooms, flooring and ongoing improvements
• Scotland’s house prices rising by approximately 2.8% over the year
• Why Aberdeen remains one of the UK’s few areas recording falling house prices
• Higher mortgage rates reducing buyers’ purchasing power
• Nick’s frustration with property sourcers who ignore clearly defined investor criteria
• Is your own home really an asset—or should younger investors build a portfolio first?
• How one investor built approximately £10,000 in monthly portfolio cash flow before buying his own home

CHAPTERS
00:00 - August market update and summer catch-up
08:27 - Rant of the month: finding suitable property deals
13:01 - Steven’s rant about business and life in the UK
17:37 - Property news and the summer slowdown
19:04 - Why England backed away from rent controls
22:41 - Scottish rents fall by 0.2%
23:22 - Why Glasgow’s one-bedroom flats are bucking the trend
25:36 - Rental growth in Aberdeen, Dundee and surrounding areas
27:14 - Why landlords must reinvest in their properties30:19 - Scotland’s house prices rise by 2.8%
32:12 - Buyer demand, property sales and mortgage affordability
34:11 - Is your own home an asset or a liability?
37:28 - Should you build a portfolio before buying a home?

NETWORKING EVENTS
First Wednesday of every month
📍 Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow
Follow our socials for speakers and details

SPONSORED BY
Prime Property Auctions — know someone selling a property? You could earn £1,500 just for making an introduction. John and Luis handle everything from the first call to the sale. Over £350,000 in referral fees paid out so far.
👉 https://primepropertyauctions.co.uk/

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💬 Would you buy your own home first, or use the deposit to build a property portfolio? Let us know in the comments 👇

Michael Mower built his property career by taking on the projects other people avoided—from tired Glasgow flats to fire-damaged auction purchases. After years of running a stressful renovation business, he and his wife Liana decided to start building assets for themselves.

That change led to successful property flips, buy-to-lets and serviced accommodation. Michael shares the numbers behind a Glasgow flat bought for £39,000 and sold for approximately £85,000, as well as a Newtown Mearns home bought for £350,000 and sold for £650,000.

Now, Michael is converting a long-empty B-listed building on Callander Main Street into serviced accommodation, commercial space and offices. He talks Nick and Steven through the £100,000 purchase, estimated £250,000 refurbishment and targeted £630,000 end value. He also speaks openly about alcohol addiction, rehab and recovery.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
• From plumbing apprentice to running a renovation company
• Why Michael and Liana stopped renovating for clients and began investing for themselves
• His first Glasgow flip: bought for £39,000 and sold for approximately £85,000
• Why their one-bedroom flips typically produced profits of around £35,000–£40,000
• The Newtown Mearns home bought for £350,000 and sold for £650,000
• Moving from flips into buy-to-let, auctions and serviced accommodation
• Michael’s honest experience of alcohol addiction, rehab and recovery
• Why his serviced accommodation can also work as long-term rental property
• Callander units listed at approximately £270 and £210 per night
• Transforming a B-listed building that had been empty for approximately 25–30 years
• The planned serviced accommodation, commercial and office spaces
• The £100,000 purchase, £250,000 refurbishment and targeted £630,000 end value
• How extensive dry rot affected the work and bridging-finance plans

CHAPTERS
00:00 - Meet Michael Mower
00:56 - Michael’s background and early life
04:58 - From plumbing apprentice to building contractor
09:23 - Leaving client renovations behind
11:40 - Flipping property in Glasgow’s south side
17:08 - The figures behind Michael’s flips
18:28 - Moving from flipping to holding property
20:11 - Launching a salon and renovating in Newtown Mearns
23:16 - Buying property at auction
25:46 - Alcohol addiction and the road to recovery
34:35 - Michael’s property portfolio today
35:25 - Moving into serviced accommodation
37:28 - Nightly rates for the Callander units
39:45 - The Callander aparthotel development
42:50 - The planned layout of the building
44:35 - Purchase price and due diligence
46:23 - Refurbishment costs and unexpected dry rot
48:23 - Funding the development
49:46 - The targeted £630,000 end value
50:58 - Local reaction and the planned opening
53:24 - What comes after the development
54:20 - Where to follow Michael

CONNECT WITH MICHAEL
Michael Mower — Built by Mike
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@Built_By_Milke⁩ 

NETWORKING EVENTS
First Wednesday of every month
📍 Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow
Follow our socials for speakers and details

SPONSORED BY
Prime Property Auctions — know someone selling a property? You could earn £1,500 just for making an introduction. John and Luis handle everything from the first call to the sale. Over £350,000 in referral fees paid out so far.
👉 https://primepropertyauctions.co.uk/

🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode
👍 Like the video if you found it valuable
💬 Would you take on a derelict B-listed building, or stick to smaller property projects? Let us know in the comments 👇

How can you scale a buy-to-let portfolio without leaving yourself dangerously exposed if the property market changes?

In this episode, Nick and Steven discuss the risks of using 80% and 85% loan-to-value mortgages to grow a property portfolio. They explain how arrangement fees, falling valuations and changes to lending criteria could leave highly leveraged investors needing to inject substantial amounts of cash when refinancing.

They also share practical ways to reduce risk, including investing in high-demand areas, maintaining cash reserves, stress-testing mortgage payments and using conservative end values. From researching comparable properties to calculating every purchase, renovation and holding cost, this episode explains the due diligence investors should carry out before committing to a deal.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Scaling buy-to-let safely in a changing market
01:20 - The 18-year property cycle and crash predictions
03:53 - Why 80% and 85% LTV mortgages raise concerns
05:40 - How mortgage fees push leverage even higher
07:27 - The refinancing risk across a large portfolio
09:22 - BRR valuations and recovering all your money
11:23 - Negative equity and product-transfer risks
13:37 - Could investors become trapped on a 9% variable rate?
14:38 - Investing in high-demand rental areas
15:44 - Stress-testing, cash reserves and avoiding overleverage
17:53 - Why longer fixed-rate terms can reduce risk
18:31 - Due diligence and conservative end values
19:21 - Comparing properties accurately
21:08 - Testing current demand with listings and estate agents
22:22 - The landlord costs investors frequently overlook
23:23 - Jobs, regeneration and school performance
26:43 - Getting every deal number right
28:02 - Purchase costs and property holding costs
30:04 - Renovation budgets and choosing quality materials
31:40 - Calculating the property’s true rental cash flow

NETWORKING EVENTS
First Wednesday of every month
📍 Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow
Follow our socials for speakers and details

SPONSORED BY
Prime Property Auctions — know someone selling a property? You could earn £1,500 just for making an introduction. John and Luis handle everything from the first call to the sale. Over £350,000 in referral fees paid out so far.
👉 https://primepropertyauctions.co.uk/

🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode
👍 Like the video if you found it valuable
💬 Would you use an 85% loan-to-value mortgage to scale faster, or keep more equity in each property? Let us know in the comments 👇

Is Scotland heading for a property crash—or does the country’s chronic shortage of homes make that unlikely?

Dr. John Boyle, Director of Research & Strategy at Rettie, joins Nick and Steven to examine the data behind Scotland’s housing emergency, house prices, rental growth and the future of the private rented sector.

From Aberdeen’s dramatic fall and the 18-year property cycle to landlord exits, rent controls, build-to-rent and student accommodation, Dr. John explains what the latest figures reveal—and why some commonly quoted property statistics can be misleading.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
• What Scotland’s housing emergency actually means and why homelessness and temporary accommodation are increasing
• Why housing costs of approximately 25%–30% of gross income are generally considered affordable
• How annual housebuilding has fallen from around 25,000 homes before the financial crash to fewer than 20,000
• Why a new social home can now cost approximately £250,000–£300,000
• Why Scotland’s 2026 house-price growth forecast was revised from 3.5% to around 0%
• Why the Scottish market continues to average approximately 100,000 property transactions each year
• Why Dr. John does not believe the 18-year property cycle will produce a house-price crash in 2026
• Why a collapse in transactions can be more damaging to the property industry than falling prices
• How Aberdeen went from having higher average prices than Edinburgh to lower prices than Dundee
• Why Aberdeen prices remain down while property transactions are beginning to recover
• The risks of using short-term house-price figures to judge smaller towns and local markets
• Why landlord registration figures do not provide a reliable picture of landlords leaving the sector
• Why Dr. John describes the landlord exodus as a “trickle rather than a flood”
• How rent controls encouraged landlords to raise rents to market value between tenancies
• Why experienced landlords are now more likely to review and increase rents every year
• How the 8% Additional Dwelling Supplement affects new landlords while producing record tax revenue
• Why rent controls caused institutional build-to-rent investment in Scotland to stall
• How construction costs rising faster than rents have created a viability problem for build-to-rent
• Why purpose-built student accommodation can be more financially viable than standard rental developments
• Whether Glasgow could eventually face an oversupply of student accommodation
• How co-living developments could provide another housing option for young professionals

CHAPTERS
00:00 - Meet Dr. John Boyle
01:08 - Scotland’s housing emergency explained
04:04 - Why Scotland is not building enough homes
07:08 - The rising cost of social housing
10:55 - Scotland’s property-market outlook
14:32 - Will the 18-year property cycle cause a crash?
18:25 - What could trigger the next property crash?
21:39 - What happened to Aberdeen’s property market?
25:31 - Finding growth areas and interpreting property data
30:28 - Are landlords really leaving Scotland?
35:23 - How the 8% ADS is affecting investors
37:47 - Why rent controls caused rents to rise
40:11 - The future of rent-control zones
44:57 - Build-to-rent and institutional investment
53:03 - Why build-to-rent schemes are struggling
56:47 - Is Glasgow building too much student accommodation?
59:49 - Could co-living help address the housing shortage?
01:00:52 - Where to connect with Dr. John

CONNECT WITH DR. JOHN
Dr. John Boyle MRICS — Director of Research & Strategy at Rettie & Co
Website: https://www.rettie.co.uk/

NETWORKING EVENTS
First Wednesday of every month
📍 Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | GlasgowFollow our socials for speakers and details

SPONSORED BY
Prime Property Auctions — know someone selling a property? You could earn £1,500 just for making an introduction. John and Luis handle everything from the first call to the sale. Over £350,000 in referral fees paid out so far.
👉 https://primepropertyauctions.co.uk/

What would Nick and Steven do with £40,000 to invest—and would they choose a vanilla buy-to-let over stocks and shares?

In this listener Q&A episode, Nick reveals that he currently owns 12 buy-to-lets and is still aiming for a portfolio of 20 producing around £5,000 in net monthly cash flow. Steven explains why he focuses less on the number of properties he owns and more on cash flow, loan-to-value and paying down debt.

They also discuss how first-time buyers can use their position to get started, what makes a BRR deal stack up, how bridging finance works, whether 5.7% is a reasonable refinancing rate and how to find a trustworthy property sourcer.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
• Nick’s goal of owning 20 buy-to-lets producing approximately £5,000 in net monthly cash flow
• Why Steven focuses on cash flow, loan-to-value and debt reduction instead of property numbers
• Houses versus flats—and why tenant turnover, factor fees and capital growth matter
• Why buying quality property can outperform chasing the maximum amount of money from every refinance
• Vanilla buy-to-let versus stocks and shares: how leverage changes the potential return
• What Nick and Steven would do with £40,000 to begin building a property portfolio
• How first-time buyers can use low deposits, house hacking and live-in flips to their advantage
• The investment criteria Nick and Steven would use when purchasing property today
• Their five and ten-year plans for acquiring properties and reducing portfolio debt
• The discounts, added value and refurbishment costs needed to make a BRR deal work
• How bridging finance works, including arrangement fees, monthly interest and exit costs
• Whether fixing a buy-to-let mortgage at 5.7% could make sense
• Kitchen versus bathroom: which refurbishment is more likely to improve a property’s value?
• How to check a property sourcer’s track record, compliance and investment figures
• Why tenanted properties require due diligence on both the building and the tenant

CHAPTERS
00:00 - Nick and Steven answer listeners’ questions
01:15 - Portfolio targets and monthly cash-flow goals
04:03 - Houses versus flats
06:12 - BRR versus buying quality property
08:21 - Loan-to-value and paying down portfolio debt
10:52 - Prime Property Auctions
13:09 - Buy-to-let versus stocks and shares
20:49 - What would they do with £40,000?
23:03 - The advantages of being a first-time buyer
25:56 - Nick and Steven’s property-buying criteria
30:23 - Their five and ten-year property plans
36:18 - How to borrow, buy and recover your investment
38:32 - How bridging finance works
42:47 - Is 5.7% a reasonable refinancing rate?
46:10 - Kitchen versus bathroom refurbishment
49:56 - How to find a trustworthy property sourcer
55:28 - Nick and Steven’s perfect day

NETWORKING EVENTS
First Wednesday of every month
📍 Aberdeen | Dundee | Edinburgh | Glasgow
Follow our socials for speakers and details

SPONSORED BY
Prime Property Auctions — earn £1,500 just for sending a WhatsApp. If you know someone selling a property, John and Lewis will pay you £1,500 or 1% of the sale price (whichever is higher) just for passing on their details. They've paid out over £350,000 in referral fees so far.
👉 https://primepropertyauctions.co.uk/

🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode
👍 Like the video if you found it valuable
💬 If you had £100,000 to invest, would you choose buy-to-let or stocks and shares? Let us know in the comments 👇