Investment grade market let residential property delivered a solid 4.7% six-month total return to June, according to the inaugural IPD UK Biannual Residential Investment Indicator.

Assuming the same return over the second half of this year, this would deliver an annualised rate of return for 2010 of 9.6%. Over the two previous years, during which the worst of the property recession and recovery manifested, the annualised return was -3.3%, based on the IPD UK Annual Residential Index.

This is the first ever bi-annual Residential Indicator published by IPD (Investment Property Databank), reflecting the need for greater transparency for residential property investors as this sector of the market continues to grow in popularity among institutional investors. The Index captures 4,713 properties, worth just under £1bn, on its first outing.

IPD said the solid return demonstrates the pedigree of the residential sector in delivering robust returns in a rising market, in addition to insulated depreciation during falling markets. The six-month total return combines a 2.5% capital growth with 2.2% income return. See chart above.

"While the six-month returns underperform the broader commercial property market by almost five percentage points, the broader market fell much more substantially during the cycle and therefore benefited more from the subsequent rebound,"says Mark Weedon, Head of UK Residential Services at IPD. "Residential performance during the first six months of 2010 continues to reflect the solid returns and lack of volatility which investors have come to enjoy and expect."