Cambridge · SG8 9TJ · 4-bed
Cowslip Close, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8
© OpenStreetMap · click to open in maps
Asking price
£500,000
Verdict
Strong rental backup (6.12% 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
£2,550/mo
6.1% gross yield
Open-market tenant on a 12-month AST.
HMO (rooms)
Best fit£3,221/mo
7.7% gross yield
4–6 individual tenants, shared living. Highest yield, most management.
LHA / Section 8
£947/mo
2.3% gross yield
Council-paid tenant. Stable rent, longer tenancies, slight discount to market.
Council lease
£805/mo
1.9% 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
4-bed but EPC unknown — factor retrofit cost or budget for it.
Standard BTL
6.1% gross — clears typical 5%+ break-even threshold.
HMO (rooms)
7.7% HMO yield — works if you already manage HMOs.
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
£3,750
Home mover
£12,500
2nd home / BTL
£37,500
Mortgage @ 75% LTV
- Loan
- £375,000
- Deposit
- £125,000
- Per month
- £2,303
Cash you'd need to walk in (deposit + investor SDLT, before legal/survey): £162,500
Should you pay this?
Asking price is in line with what 4-bed homes have been selling for nearby.
Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right.
What it'd rent for
£2,550/month6.12% gross yield
Based on 792 live rentals in Cambridge · 4-bed homes here average £2,836/mo.
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
- []
Loading nearby sold…
5-year price trend
Crime risk
Flood risk
Schools & Ofsted
No schools indexed yet for this postcode sector. The official sources below cover every UK postcode.
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.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
HMO licensing
£825 – £1,500typical UK HMO fee, 5-year licence
4-bed property. Mandatory licensing kicks in at 5+ unrelated occupants. Below that, a licence is only required if the council runs an additional or selective scheme — the link below is the way to check.
The council's HMO page lists the current mandatory fee plus any additional / selective scheme that catches smaller HMOs.
Find borough HMO licensing page on gov.ukMandatory licensing applies UK-wide for 5+ sharer HMOs (Housing Act 2004). Scotland licenses 3+ sharers; Wales also requires Rent Smart Wales registration for every landlord.
Area pulse
- 31,087 new listings here in the last month — good comparable supply.
Share this analysis
Want unlimited saved searches, the full investor breakdown, and the what-if calculator? Try Pro free for 3 days.