Rented normally, it costs you £567 a month. That is £6,807 a year, every year you hold it.

Will it pay?Calculator

The mortgage alone costs more than the whole rent — you top up £567 a month

It is £567 a month short. Borrowing £104,729 less would close that shortfall — which is £104,729 more cash at the start, on top of the deposit.

+£1,439−£1,503−£503−£567

Rent inMortgageRunning costsShort by

The rent covers £1,439 of that — you cover £567

◧ market rent £1,439 · 5 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-£567/mo

All-in cash£145,373

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

£128,200 + refurb costs

And about £34,037 more over five years, because it loses £567 every month you hold it — before any repair. That already assumes the rent never falls.

£128,200 to buy it

deposit · stamp duty · solicitor · fees~£17,173, unseen

□ works not inspected

What would have to be true?The working

£135,000 off and it stops losing money

At the asking price you feed it £567 a month. At £230,347 the rent covers everything — leaving stamp duty of £13,624 at that price.

offer £230,347

asked £370,000

◧ 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 £265,000 in 2018

Nothing nearby is comparable, but asking is 40% more than the £265,000 paid for it in 2018.

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

What will the rent borrow?Lender test

The rent carries £152,679 of the £277,500 loan

That £124,821 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 £100,392. Lenders test the rent at 7.5% and need it to cover 145% of the payment.

£2,515 needed

more than the £1,384 rent

stressed at 7.5%, 145% cover

◧ rent after empty weeks £1,384PRA-style test

How big is it, really?The plan

One figure, and nothing checking it 1,216 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

Leicester City, LE5 6LF

2 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 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 16 Sep 2026

Which strategy wins?The ways to run it

Every way loses money — Rent by the room loses least, at £343 a month

Let it to the council: £732 a year less, but they keep paying when it is empty.

Rent by the room−£343 · £183,373 in

Standard rental−£567 · £145,373 in

Guaranteed council rent−£628 · £145,373 in

Housing-benefit rent−£947 · £145,373 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, after 5 years?The five-year sums

−£49,431 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 25% in the price would leave nothing from a sale after selling costs, and you would still owe the lender any shortfall. That is the £145,373 you put in. The 5-year fix runs past this 5-year hold, so the rate reset comes after it.

−£145,373+£420,834−£10,521−£277,500−£36,871−£49,431

Cash you put inSale valueSelling costsMortgageRent lossesYou are down

◧ 2.0%/yr growth assumed