Rented normally, it costs you £1,782 a month. That is £21,380 a year, every year you hold it.

Will it pay?Calculator

The mortgage alone costs more than the whole rent — you top up £1,782 a month

It is £1,782 a month short. Borrowing £328,924 less would close that shortfall — which is £328,924 more cash at the start, on top of the deposit.

£4,063 mortgage

£3,342 rent in£1,782 short

£175 of that is a guess — no service charge published.

□ service charge not published2 empty weeks a year assumed

What if I change my assumptions?The dials

At the asking price, 25% deposit, 6.50% charged

Change any of these 16 and every card on this page changes with it. The 6.50% is the 5.75% quoted plus a company premium.

◧ worked out from local rents

What will it cost me to buy?Breakdown

£363,975 + refurb costs

And about £106,900 more over five years, because it loses £1,782 every month you hold it — before any repair. That already assumes the rent never falls.

£363,975 to buy it

deposit · stamp duty · solicitor · fees~£23,120, unseen

□ works not inspected

What would have to be true?The search

No offer makes this pay

Even at £600,000 — well below the £1,000,000 asked — the rent still does not cover the costs. The gap is the rent against the running costs, not the price, so negotiating does not close it.

◧ worked back from the rent■ stamp duty re-bandedtested down to £600,000

Is the price right?Comparables

We can't tell — nothing nearby is alike enough

The dearest sold for 9.9× the cheapest, so the rent has to justify this price on its own.

you'd pay £1,000,000

£91,000

£317,250

£369,950

£375,000

£380,000

£450,000

£495,000

£500,000

£563,000

£590,000

£660,000

£900,000

£91k£495.5k£900k

£91,000 cheapest£900,000 dearest

12 completed sales, same property type, last 3 years

□ 12 sold nearby, not matched on sizeHM Land Registry Price Paid Data

What will the rent borrow?Lender test

The rent carries £354,589 of the £750,000 loan

That £395,411 is yours to find on top of the deposit. Tested at 125% instead of 145% — a company or a basic-rate taxpayer usually is — the gap is £338,677. Lenders test the rent at 7.5% and need it to cover 145% of the payment.

£6,797 needed

more than the £3,213 rent

stressed at 7.5%, 145% cover

◧ rent after empty weeks £3,213PRA-style test

How big is it, really?The plan

One figure, and nothing checking it 1,030 sq ft

Only the agent’s figure exists for this house. Open for what that means.

□ area unchecked — agent’s own

Is it a good location?Open the map

London, W5 3QH

No schools in this postcode area and flood risk checking… — open for the map, the schools and the rest.

Article 4Not assessed for this address

■ postcode area, not this address

What could kill thisThe checks

You would need a licence from the council first

Letting without the council’s licence is an offence, and the fee is in no figure here.

2 problems found · 1 came back clear · 5 we could not check · 1 does not apply to this property

■ from council licensing registerlisting last seen 18 Sep 2026

Which strategy wins?The ways to run it

Every way loses money — Standard rental loses least, at £1,782 a month

Let it to the council: £7,788 a year less, but they keep paying when it is empty.

Standard rental−£1,782 · £387,095 in

Guaranteed council rent−£2,431 · £387,095 in

Housing-benefit rent−£2,954 · £387,095 in

Rent by the room−£2,996 · £387,095 in

Each row: money kept a month, then the cash it ties up. Not compared: Do it up, then remortgage (pays back at the remortgage) · Short-stay let (no local short-let data) · Buy, improve & sell (pays out on sale)

◧ 4 ways, one measureranked on money kept each month, at the asking price

What would you walk away with?The five-year sums

−£160,240 after five years on the cash you put in, before tax on the sale

Less than the same cash would have made in a savings account, after tax on the interest. The savings account’s capital is not at risk; the property’s is. A fall of about 24% in the price would leave nothing from a sale after selling costs, and you would still owe the lender any shortfall. That is the £387,095 you put in. The 5-year fix runs past this 5-year hold, so the rate reset comes after it.

◧ 2.0%/yr growth assumed