Rented normally, it costs you £606 a month. That is £7,275 a year, every year you hold it.

Will it pay?Calculator

The mortgage alone costs more than the whole rent — you top up £606 a month

It is £606 a month short. Borrowing £111,917 less would close that shortfall — which is £111,917 more cash at the start, on top of the deposit.

+£1,050−£1,219−£437−£606

Rent inMortgageRunning costsShort by

The rent covers £1,050 of that — you cover £606

◧ market rent £1,050 · 83 comps2 empty weeks a year assumed

What if I change my assumptions?The dials

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

Try your own numbersLive

You keep-£606/mo

All-in cash£120,280

PaybackNever

Offer−+

Deposit−+

Mortgage rate−+

Rent−+

Worked at 6.50% — 5.75% quoted plus a company premium.

◧ worked out from local rents

What will it cost me to buy?Breakdown

£102,650 + refurb costs

And about £36,373 more over five years, because it loses £606 every month you hold it — before any repair. That already assumes the rent never falls.

£102,650 to buy it

deposit · stamp duty · solicitor · fees~£17,630, unseen

□ works not inspected

What would have to be true?The search

No offer makes this pay

Even at £180,000 — well below the £300,000 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 £180,000

Is the price right?The deeds

Last sold for £119,950 in 2004

Nothing nearby is comparable, but asking is 150% more than the £119,950 paid for it in 2004.

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

What will the rent borrow?Lender test

The rent carries £111,406 of the £225,000 loan

That £113,594 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 £95,769. Lenders test the rent at 7.5% and need it to cover 145% of the payment.

£2,039 needed

more than the £1,010 rent

stressed at 7.5%, 145% cover

◧ rent after empty weeks £1,010PRA-style test

Who has to say yes?Council record

Bolton council approves 69% — 55% on a cautious reading

A council-wide rate across 54 HMO decisions, not a forecast for this address.

69%

0%50%100%

never approvesalways approves

the band is the cautious reading of the same 54 decisions — as low as 55%

■ Article 4 — planning permission requireddecision record held for this authority

How big is it, really?The plan

Room to grow

The plan is on file; the floor area is not.

□ no floor area published

Is it a good location?Open the map

Bolton, BL2 2PF

2 of 3 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

What could kill thisThe checks

The council here has taken away the automatic right to rent this out by the room

You would have to apply for permission first, and the council can say no.

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

■ from the Article 4 maplisting last seen 01 Sep 2026

Which strategy wins?The ways to run it

Short-stay let beats Rent by the room by £465 a month

Your controls are set to Standard rental — £716 a month behind Short-stay let.

Short-stay let+£110 · £120,280 in

88 nearby short-lets within 20 km · low confidence

Rent by the room−£355 · £144,044 in

Standard rental−£606 · £120,280 in

Guaranteed council rent−£721 · £120,280 in

Housing-benefit rent−£940 · £120,280 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) · Buy, improve & sell (pays out on sale)

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

What would you walk away with, after 5 years?The five-year sums

−£49,402 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 26% in the price would leave nothing from a sale after selling costs, and you would still owe the lender any shortfall. That is the £120,280 you put in. The 5-year fix runs past this 5-year hold, so the rate reset comes after it.

−£120,280+£343,876−£8,597−£225,000−£39,402−£49,402

Cash you put inSale valueSelling costsMortgageRent lossesYou are down

◧ 2.0%/yr growth assumed