Highwycombe · HP1 3RE · 1-bed
Galley Hill, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP1
© OpenStreetMap · click to open in maps
Asking price
£185,000
Verdict
Strong rental backup (7.78% gross yield)
What you could do with it
Estimated gross yields from current rental comps. Numbers are pre-cost — service, voids, mortgage, management still come off these.
Standard BTL
Best fit£1,200/mo
7.8% gross yield
Open-market tenant on a 12-month AST.
LHA / Section 8
£698/mo
4.5% gross yield
Council-paid tenant. Stable rent, longer tenancies, slight discount to market.
Council lease
£593/mo
3.9% gross yield
3–5 yr guaranteed-rent lease to a housing association. Hands-off.
Who is this for?
Quick read across the buyer personas. ✅ = good fit · ⚠ = workable with caveats · ❌ = look elsewhere.
Family home
Not the right shape for a family.
Standard BTL
7.8% gross — clears typical 5%+ break-even threshold.
Buy + rent later
Rents would more than cover BTL mortgage costs if life changes.
The numbers
England (SDLT) · 75% LTV mortgage at 5.5% over 25 years (capital repayment).
Stamp duty
First-time buyer
£0
Home mover
£0
2nd home / BTL
£9,250
Mortgage @ 75% LTV
- Loan
- £138,750
- Deposit
- £46,250
- Per month
- £852
Cash you'd need to walk in (deposit + investor SDLT, before legal/survey): £55,500
Should you pay this?
Asking price is in line with what 1-bed homes have been selling for nearby.
Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right.
What it'd rent for
£1,200/month7.78% gross yield
Most landlords need 5%+ gross to break even after costs in this area, so this is a decent fallback if your plans shift.
Property features
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Loading nearby sold…
5-year price trend
Crime risk
Flood risk
Schools & Ofsted
Catchment area is the #1 driver of family-let demand and exit liquidity in the suburbs. Verify the local primary + secondary ratings before offering — an Outstanding catchment can add 5–10% to £/sqft; Inadequate is a permanent drag.
- All schools within 2 miles (DfE GIAS) — official register, last Ofsted, type
- Ofsted reports for HP1 3RE — full inspection reports + history
- Catchment visualiser (Locrating) — free-tier school-catchment map
Catchments aren't published nationally; many schools use distance-from-school as the deciding factor. The links above give you the official data; only the local authority can confirm a specific year's catchment boundary.
Area pulse
- 6,598 new listings here in the last month — good comparable supply.
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