Rented normally, it costs you £132 a month. That is £1,583 a year, every year you hold it.

What could kill thisThe checks

Cash buyers only — there is no mortgage on this one

The listing says no mortgage, and every figure on this page is worked with one.

2 problems found · 5 we could not check · 2 do not apply to this property

■ from the listinglisting last seen 16 Sep 2026

Will it pay?Calculator

You top up £132 a month — the mortgage takes 75p of every pound of rent

Borrowing £24,352 less would close that shortfall — which is £24,352 more cash at the start, on top of the deposit.

£630 mortgage

£836 rent in£132 short

◧ market rent £836 · 100 comps2 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

£52,125 + refurb costs

And about £7,914 more over five years, because it loses £132 every month you hold it — before any repair. That already assumes the rent never falls.

~£63,278

deposit · stamp duty · solicitor · feeswe haven’t been inside

£52,125 to buy it

□ works not inspected

What would have to be true?The working

£30,000 off and it stops losing money

At the asking price you feed it £132 a month. At £122,517 the rent covers everything — leaving stamp duty of £6,126 at that price.

offer £122,517

asked £155,000

◧ worked back from the rent■ stamp duty re-bandedrounded down to £5,000 — the rent it works back from is an estimate

Is the price right?The deeds

Last sold for £60,000 in 2004

Nothing nearby is comparable, but asking is 158% more than the £60,000 paid for it in 2004.

□ this address’s own deeds, no comparable saleHM Land Registry Price Paid Data

How big is it, really?The plan

One figure, and nothing checking it 742 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

Bolton, BL1 8BR

1 of 5 schools in this postcode area rated Good or Outstanding and flood risk checking… — open for the map, the schools and the rest.

Article 4Planning permission required to let by the room

■ postcode area, not this address

Which strategy wins?The ways to run it

Short-stay let beats Standard rental by £309 a month

Let it to the council: £876 a year less, but they keep paying when it is empty.

Short-stay let+£177 · £115,403 in

14 nearby short-lets within 20 km · low confidence

Standard rental−£132 · £115,403 in

Guaranteed council rent−£205 · £115,403 in

Housing-benefit rent−£385 · £115,403 in

Each row: money kept a month, then the cash it ties up. Not compared: Rent by the room (only 2 bedrooms) · Do it up, then remortgage (pays back at the remortgage) · 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

−£29,096 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 39% in the price would leave nothing from a sale after selling costs, and you would still owe the lender any shortfall. That is the £115,403 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