Local housing statistics are useful only when their periods and boundaries remain attached. Derry City and Strabane is a particularly clear example of why a district house-price figure and a rental-area figure should not be treated as a matched pair.
The dated house-price reference
The ONS page updated on 16 September 2026 reported a provisional average house price of £189,000 for Derry City and Strabane in April to June 2026, up 12.4% over the corresponding quarter a year earlier. Northern Ireland house-price statistics are quarterly.
The rent figure covers another geography
For June 2026, ONS reported £792 a month for North West Northern Ireland, a broad rental market area. Derry City and Strabane overlaps both that area and South West Northern Ireland. The rent measure uses advertised new lets, unlike the method used in the other UK nations.
Avoid manufacturing a district yield
Dividing the rental-area average by the district house-price average would combine different geographic samples. It would not establish the return on a particular property. For an assessment, obtain evidence for comparable accommodation, identify the expected costs and keep assumptions separate from confirmed figures.
Take the research to the address
Check the actual setting, condition, legal position and proposed use of the property. Ask a local adviser to explain which comparisons are genuinely relevant. Keep the original source dates in your notes, and update the assessment when better evidence becomes available.
This article replaces the imported market guide with a dated statistical overview and a practical explanation of comparability. It does not forecast prices or recommend a buy-to-let purchase.
Editorial review: 15 October 2026. This original Property Perpetuity guide replaces the imported text; the original archive publication date is retained.