Rented normally, it costs you £860 a month. That is £10,316 a year, every year you hold it.

Will it pay?Calculator

The mortgage alone costs more than the whole rent — you top up £860 a month

It is £860 a month short. Borrowing £158,711 less would close that shortfall — which is £158,711 more cash at the start, on top of the deposit.

+£2,054−£2,113−£801−£860

Rent inMortgageRunning costsShort by

The rent covers £2,054 of that — you cover £860

□ 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

£184,150 + refurb costs

And about £51,581 more over five years, because it loses £860 every month you hold it — before any repair. That already assumes the rent never falls.

£184,150 to buy it

deposit · stamp duty · solicitor · fees~£15,855, unseen

□ works not inspected

What would have to be true?The search

No offer makes this pay

Even at £312,000 — well below the £520,000 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 £312,000

Can we trust the rent?Rent evidence

Nearby lettings back this rent

We hold too few nearby asking rents to cross-check this figure, so nothing here confirms it a second way.

+47 more

our bar: 10 within 500 m

our own middle half£1,712–£2,464/mo

■ 57 lettings within 1 km□ no nearby asks to cross-checkAdvertised rents, not signed tenancies

What will the rent borrow?Lender test

The rent carries £217,931 of the £390,000 loan

That £172,069 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 £137,200. Lenders test the rent at 7.5% and need it to cover 145% of the payment.

£3,534 needed

more than the £1,975 rent

stressed at 7.5%, 145% cover

◧ rent after empty weeks £1,975PRA-style test

How big is it, really?The plan

One figure, and nothing checking it 654 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

London, N17 7AB

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

■ from council licensing registerlisting last seen 19 Sep 2026

Which strategy wins?The ways to run it

Every way loses money — Standard rental loses least, at £860 a month

Let it to the council: £3,900 a year less, but they keep paying when it is empty.

Standard rental−£860 · £200,005 in

Guaranteed council rent−£1,185 · £200,005 in

Housing-benefit rent−£1,478 · £200,005 in

Short-stay let−£1,942 · £200,005 in

40 nearby short-lets within 5.5 km · low confidence

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

−£75,018 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 £200,005 you put in. The 5-year fix runs past this 5-year hold, so the rate reset comes after it.

−£200,005+£585,500−£14,638−£390,000−£55,876−£75,018

Cash you put inSale valueSelling costsMortgageRent lossesYou are down

◧ 2.0%/yr growth assumed