Rented normally, it costs you £134 a month. That is £1,609 a year, every year you hold it.

Will it pay?Calculator

You top up £134 a month — the mortgage takes 49p of every pound of rent

Borrowing £24,754 less would close that shortfall — which is £24,754 more cash at the start, on top of the deposit.

£362 mortgage

£483 running

£739 rent in£134 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

£33,705 + refurb costs

And about £8,045 more over five years, because it loses £134 every month you hold it — before any repair. That already assumes the rent never falls.

£33,705 to buy it

~£14,485

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

□ 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 £134 a month. At £55,990 the rent covers everything — leaving LBTT of £4,479 at that price.

offer £55,990

asked £89,000

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

Is the price right?Comparables

Nothing nearby is comparable — but it is 98% over its 2021 price

The dearest sold for 3.0× the cheapest, so the rent has to justify this price on its own.

you'd pay £89,000

£28,000

£30,000

£35,000

£39,000

£47,000

£50,000

£58,000

£60,000

£68,000

£69,000

£75,000

£85,000

£28k£56.5k£85k

£28,000 cheapest£85,000 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 the whole loan — it could fall 15% and still cover it

Your deposit is what limits this one, not the rent. Lenders test the rent at 7.5% and need it to cover 145% of the payment.

£605 needed

of £711 rent

stressed at 7.5%, 145% cover

◧ rent after empty weeks £711PRA-style test

How big is it, really?The plan

One figure, and nothing checking it 883 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

Aberdeen, AB11 5PL

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

The area is mapped as high flood risk

Flood maps cover areas, not buildings — treat it as a reason to search, not a verdict.

2 problems found · 2 came back clear · 2 we could not check · 3 do not apply to this property

■ from the flood maplisting last seen 12 Sep 2026

Which strategy wins?The ways to run it

Every way loses money — Standard rental loses least, at £134 a month

Let it to the council: £60 a year less, but they keep paying when it is empty.

Standard rental−£134 · £48,190 in

Guaranteed council rent−£139 · £48,190 in

Housing-benefit rent−£252 · £48,190 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) · Short-stay let (no local short-let data) · Buy, improve & sell (pays out on sale)

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

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

−£17,713 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 30% in the price would leave nothing from a sale after selling costs, and you would still owe the lender any shortfall. That is the £48,190 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