Rented normally, it costs you £662 a month. That is £7,940 a year, every year you hold it.

Will it pay?Calculator

The mortgage alone costs more than the whole rent — you top up £662 a month

It is £662 a month short. Borrowing £122,160 less would close that shortfall — which is £122,160 more cash at the start, on top of the deposit.

+£1,407−£1,422−£647−£662

Rent inMortgageRunning costsShort by

The rent covers £1,407 of that — you cover £662

□ 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

£121,294 + refurb costs

And about £39,702 more over five years, because it loses £662 every month you hold it — before any repair. That already assumes the rent never falls.

£121,294 to buy it

deposit · stamp duty · solicitor · fees~£13,732, unseen

□ works not inspected

What would have to be true?The search

No offer makes this pay

Even at £210,030 — well below the £350,050 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 £210,030

Can we trust the rent?Rent evidence

Nearby lettings, all asking less

Every one of the 9 nearby asking rents we hold is lower than the rent this page uses.

+112 more

our bar: 10 within 500 m

what 9 nearby lettings ask£1,075–£1,395/mo

our own middle half£1,353–£1,463/mo

■ 122 lettings within 500 m□ above every nearby askAdvertised rents, not signed tenancies

What will the rent borrow?Lender test

The rent carries £149,284 of the £262,538 loan

That £113,254 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 £89,368. Lenders test the rent at 7.5% and need it to cover 145% of the payment.

£2,379 needed

more than the £1,353 rent

stressed at 7.5%, 145% cover

◧ rent after empty weeks £1,353PRA-style test

How big is it, really?The plan

One figure, and nothing checking it 781 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

Manchester, M16 0ZN

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 4Planning permission required to let by the room

■ postcode area, not this address

What could kill thisThe checks

You would not own it outright — 80 years left, and buying more years has already got dearer

Nobody has priced those extra years here — you buy them from whoever owns the building.

2 problems found · 1 came back clear · 4 we could not check · 2 do not apply to this property

■ from the listinglisting last seen 19 Sep 2026

Which strategy wins?The ways to run it

Every way loses money — Short-stay let loses least, at £554 a month

Let it to the council: £2,856 a year less, but they keep paying when it is empty.

Short-stay let−£554 · £135,026 in

3 nearby short-lets within 5.5 km · low confidence

Standard rental−£662 · £135,026 in

Guaranteed council rent−£900 · £135,026 in

Housing-benefit rent−£1,153 · £135,026 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, after 5 years?The five-year sums

−£54,141 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 £135,026 you put in. The 5-year fix runs past this 5-year hold, so the rate reset comes after it.

−£135,026+£396,338−£9,908−£262,538−£43,008−£54,141

Cash you put inSale valueSelling costsMortgageRent lossesYou are down

◧ 2.0%/yr growth assumed