The UK property market has seen growth but there are storm clouds on the horizon – rises in stamp duty on buy-to-lets, reduced tax breaks for buy-to-let investors and the upcoming financial turmoil stemming from both the Brexit referendum and the worsening political climate overseas.

Not only that, mortgage costs are increasing rapidly, potentially making properties unaffordable.

The property market has been driven by Chinese investment from overseas, but with cracks appearing in China’s economy and repeated currency devaluations this drive is beginning to run out of steam. A shrinking economy will impact every other region around the world and leave demand for UK buy-to-lets through the floor, fuelling a drop in house prices and therefore in the value of property investments.

An obvious difference between gold and property is the ability to liquidate your assets. Gold’s high demand means it is easy to liquidate at any time, and if you invest in gold coins you can liquidate in smaller or more specific amounts.

In contrast, it can take up to six months to sell a house, even in a good market. The flexibility that gold offers the investor cannot be matched by property, and in sudden slump you could find yourself caught out and at a significant loss.

Gold does not ask much of the investor. You purchase your gold through the correct, reputable channels and you liquidate as you see fit. In between there is nothing you have to do.

Property, on the other hand, requires constant maintenance, and if rented may require you to deal with unreliable or unhelpful tenants and the associated hassle. Owning a house is time consuming, expensive and often stressful. Gold investment on the other hand, could not be easier.

Landlords could previously deduct mortgage interest and other allowable costs for rental income before calculating their tax, resulting in an attractive tax relief.

However, this relief is being phased out, meaning that many existing home owners will pay more tax, or in some cased be placed in a higher income tax bracket.

This is in contrast to gold, which is free from capital gains tax when done correctly. In fact gold offers tax advantages that cannot be replicated by any other investment medium.

The 2008 financial crisis and subsequent recession resulted in consistently high gold prices that have only been buoyed by recent political turmoil.

With further political shocks on the horizon (Brexit, the oncoming Italian banking crisis and the unknowns of America’s economic future under Trump), gold prices look set to both remain high and see more sharp rises, providing great opportunities for new investors.

Property on the other hand has seen a marked down turn, with London seeing its first price fall in eight years. Property is no longer the relatively safe means of growing wealth it used to be.