Living in Coventry

The average property prices in Coventry are between £303,345 for a detached property and £102,056 for a flat. With the average property price increase of 5% this year, making Coventry a great place to invest.

Coventry has a population of 337,400, an average income of £28,000 and is well connected, within 31 minutes from Birmingham and 1 hour from London.

A city with a bright future

The face of the city has changed dramatically in recent times with major developments creating a vibrant and contemporary city to live in.

A new £59m central business quarter has recently been completed and there is a £100m city centre project planned for the near future. This new development will incorporate new shops, hotels, apartments and a greatly enhanced public space for pedestrian traffic. This is great news for those looking to move to the area, particularly for those looking for the city lifestyle.

The city centre itself is mainly pedestrianised with the well renowned Coventry covered market situated in the heart of the city providing a unique shopping experience.

What you can get for your money when buying in Coventry

James Pearson, Coventry’s local director, says, ‘The city has a variety of different house styles; from young, working professionals looking for 1 and 2 bedroom apartments prices start at around £100,000 rising to £200,000 in the new Electric Wharf area.’

Terraced properties in the city start from around £90,000 with plenty of opportunities for the shrewd property investor.

Further afield in the Radford and Tile Hill areas families looking for a detached property should expect to pay from £280,000. The exclusive Kenilworth Road/Gibbet Hill locations can command £900,000.

Across the city the average sale price of a house is now £171,447, representing a rise of 5% during the last year.

The city is surrounded by the West Midlands Green Belt, with towns such as Kenilworth, Nuneaton, Warwick and Leamington Spa all nearby making it the perfect location to be based for the hustle and bustle of city life but with the peace and tranquillity of the Warwickshire countryside only a short drive away.

What can you get for your money when renting in Coventry?

Wendy Williams our Lettings Negotiator states, ‘Due to good business and transport links in Coventry there is a strong private rental sector with rental prices starting from £600pcm, for this you can expect to get a good sized 1 bedroom apartment in the heart of the city.

For families looking for a larger space, a 3 bedroom property will cost around £950pcm or if you look further afield to surrounding suburban areas prices can reach £1500.’

Some of the most sought after properties are the 2 and 3 bedroom houses, with demand outstripping supply, making Coventry a strong proposal for any property investor.

Getting an education in Coventry

Going to university- The student market also continues to grow with exceptionally high demand due to the two local universities of Coventry and Warwick.

Coventry University provides expertise in engineering and design and has recently been placed number 23 in the country by the Times Higher Education magazine’s ‘table of tables’ for UK universities, while the University of Warwick, an esteemed Russell Group university, is one of the top universities in the world with its highly respected business school.

Secondary schools- Many of the secondary schools in and around the city are specialist colleges, including a mathematics and IT college, a sports college, a teacher training college and a music college. There are two independent schools; King Henry VIII School and Bablake School. Houses in the catchment area for these particular schools are in high demand.

Getting to and from Coventry

Many residents of Coventry commute into the larger city of Birmingham to work. The main Coventry railway station is located just off the city centre and commuters can be in Birmingham New Street within 20 minutes.

London can be accessed via the railway in just over an hour; this could be greatly reduced with the introduction of HS2 into Birmingham.

Buses run frequently in and out of the city to the various residential areas and a whole host of the classic London taxis providing readily accessible transport for the city’s residents.

In addition to the rail and bus services the city is also in close proximity to major road links including the M6, M45 and M40; with the Catthorpe A14/M6/M1 junction due to be complete in Autumn 2016 this will provide ready access across to the East Midlands.

Only 11 miles away is Birmingham International Airport and Coventry airport is located 5 miles out of the city centre.

9 Interesting facts about Coventry

Coventry is officially the 10th largest city in England with a population of 337,400
The city is renowned as the home of the legendary Lady Godiva who is said to have rode her horse naked through the streets in protest at her husband’s tax rises on the city’s population. This led to the infamy of ‘Peeping Tom’ who couldn’t resist the temptation to ‘peep’ as Godiva rode past
Those with a passion for engineering will be delighted to learn that Coventry was where England’s first cycle was built in 1870
Today Coventry is still at the forefront of new product development and has Jaguar Land Rover and London Taxi International based in the city with Aston Martin Lagonda nearby
Coventry loves twins! It is twinned with 26 cities around the world including three that are named after it in the USA
On 14th November 1940 the city was decimated by sustained bombing during the Second World War where 4300 homes were destroyed and three quarters of the city’s factories were damaged in one night. The last raid was in August 1942 with the city sustaining 41 actual raids with 373 alerts. This led to much of the housing stock and city center buildings being rebuilt after the end of the war.
The city itself boasts some of the most well preserved structures in England, with over 400 listed buildings, some of which date back over a thousand years
Coventry’s best-known landmark is the 14th century St Michael’s Cathedral. This was largely destroyed during the Second World War but ruins of the old Cathedral now stand next to the new Cathedral
Coventry is truly international – there are over 120 languages spoken by children in Coventry schools

* Rightmove stats, October 2015

Coventry Area