-13.4% 5y IRR — capital outlay disproportionate to returns
No rent comparables — estimate is a rule-of-thumb fallback, not market data. Verify the rent locally before offering.
Property research tool — not a regulated financial service. Numbers are point-in-time estimates; how we decide →
Monthly cashflow
−£2K/mo
You top up £2K/mo
Price vs market
Above comparable sales
+10% vs 12 sold
Return · IRR
-13.4%/yr
Loses money over 5 years
Cash to get in
£180K
Deposit + fees + refurb
Price £475KReturn before costson price · Rent by the room8.76%5-yr return on cash -51%Rent est. £2,245 (£745–£5,612)
How we define each return:On price — gross yield = annual rent ÷ purchase price.On cost — net yield ÷ total project cost (price + refurb + fees).On cash — cash-on-cash & ROI ÷ the actual cash you put in (deposit + costs).
Listing seen …
What-if calculator
Edit any input — outputs recalc liveRates as of 20 May 2026
Buy-to-Let. Standard rental on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy. Single household, market rent, paid monthly direct to landlord (or via agent). (hover any strategy tab for pros + cons)
Offer (£)
Monthly rent (£)
Local comp range: £745–£5,612/mo · n=5
Financing
DepositYour cash in — the rest is the mortgage25% · £118,750
5%100% (cash buy)
Standard 75% LTV for BTL
Mortgage rate5y fixed5.8%
3.0%9.0%
5-year fixed at 75% LTV — 5.75% (as of 2026-05-20).
Mortgage term (years)
Stress rate6.5%
5.0%9.0%
BoE base + 2pp stress (6.5%)
Acquisition costs
Refurb (£)
Per-property refurb estimate from the element rate-card model (£1,406–£2,625 range), VAT-inclusive
Legal + survey (£)
Standard house — £1,400 legal + £750 survey
Mortgage fees (£)
2% product fee on £356,250 loan + £1,000 booking fee
Cladding safety certificateNot stated on the listingHeritageNot stated on the listing
Heritage& planning constraintsNHLE register
We don't ingest the NHLE bulk register, so we can't flag listed-building or conservation-area status for this address from our data alone. Use the official registry to verify before exchanging.
Compare 7 strategies side-by-side · best shown with ⭐
⭐Short-stay let / Airbnb wins — +£1,032/mo · £539/mo ahead of Rent by the room
Strategy
Return before costson price
Monthly profit
Cash needed
5y Return on your cashon cash
Risk
Feasibility
Rent it out
5.67%
-£311
£168,400
-4.2%
Low
Feasible
Housing-benefit rent
4.17%
-£900
£168,400
-25.0%
Med
Feasible
Council lease
5.67%
-£216
£168,400
-3.9%
Low
Feasible
Refurb & refinance
5.67%
-£311
£192,900
-3.7%
Med
Feasible
⭐ Short-stay let / Airbnb
14.92%
+£1,032
£168,400
42.7%
High
Feasible
Buy, improve & sell
0.00%
-£194
£517,275
9%
Med
Feasible
Rent by the room
4.84% *
+£493
£170,750
—
—
Feasible
* Rent by the room shows net yield on cost for the audited HMO conversion deal (post-conversion, after running costs) — not gross like the other rows. Its 5-yr ROI reads “—” because the audited deal is a year-one snapshot; the HMO conversion panel below shows the cash-back / payback horizon.
Short-let (SA) context243 active short-lets nearby
Short-let market context
Local nightly-rate and occupancy benchmarks for this postcode.
243 active short-let listings in this postcode
Housing-benefit (LHA) scheme detailBRMA Reading · cap £1,649/mo
Housing-benefit rent scheme detail
Per-BRMA Local Housing Allowance + per-LA council leasing scheme.
Rental Market Area (BRMA):
Reading
LHA monthly cap:
£1,649
Scheme type:
other
Premium:
+700% premium over LHA cap
Typical lease:
0 years lease
Management:
landlord pays agent (typical 10%)
Ready to move on this deal?
Generates an offer pack with your numbers & sources — take it to the agent.
Pro analysis — outcome range, stress tests & portfolio impactLocal lettings demanddays-to-let · supply now · trend
-£606/mo cash flow vs Rent it out if converted to Rent by the room
6.06% Return before costs on price converted vs 5.67% as-is
£475k → 6-bed HMO @ ~£641/room: £3,709 pcm gross, ~£2,126 pcm net (4.8% net on £527k all-in incl. ~£12k works); GDV ~£364k → refinance releases ~£-83k (~£254k left in)
medium confidence
Unlocks ~£8,321/yr extra rent
5 → 6 lettable rooms · ~6.2% gross at max
Potential, not guaranteed (subject to planning + regs). Estimate from the floorplan (kitchen size assumed) — verify room sizes against the floorplan before offering.
How we calculated this
floorplan shows 7 habitable rooms (5 beds + 2 reception(s)); convert 1 spare room(s) to bedrooms, keeping one reception as the lounge → up to 6 lettable rooms; sized to Reading adopted standard (6.51/10.5 m²; Guide to amenity standards for Houses in Multiple Occupation (Reading BC, current 2026)); adds ~£693/mo; loft conversion may add 1-2 further rooms (subject to head height/planning — not counted); mandatory HMO licence (5+ persons, England)
Pro members see the floorplan with every convertible room outlined in green. Verify room sizes before offering.
5 → 6 bed HMO+1 single4.84% net on cost3.47% cash-on-cashuplift 5.67% → 6.19%
💷 Refinance could release ~-£82,902
HMO licence
✓Sized to Reading's adopted HMO standards
Projections use documented assumptions (local room rates, typical conversion costs, 75% LTV at 5.5%, indicative regional valuation yields) and each council’s published HMO standards. Not financial advice. Verify room sizes, licensing and planning with the council and a surveyor before purchase.
Room mix (5 lettable rooms)
3× Double @ £725/mo1× Single @ £520/mo1× En-suite @ £771/mo
≈ £3,467/mo gross room income
As-is Rent it out
Monthly profit-£236
Return before costson price5.67%
Cash needed£130,648
If converted to Rent by the room
Monthly profit-£843
Return before costson price6.06%
Cash needed£146,648
Δ vs Rent it outMonthly profit-£606
+1 room (6 total)
Monthly profit+£348
Return before costson price10.51%
Cash needed£156,648
Extra rent+£693/mo
Show conversion detail
Conversion cost estimate
£3,750
Range: £2,500 – £6,250
Fire safety, plumbing, partitioning, licensing.
Rates as of Apr 2026
£85,950–£151,875full refurb + room split
What's in this cost
Kitchen£9,900–£19,800
1 × bathroom£6,750–£12,375
Rewire£7,875–£12,600
Replumb£6,300–£11,025
Windows£17,325–£29,925
Paint + decor£15,750–£26,775
Flooring£22,050–£39,375
Based on 1730 HMO comps within 1.4 km
Comparables
sold within 0.5 mi
Wide · CV 19.2%Med confidence
Loading nearby sold…
Location & area intelligence
Transport 100 / 100
Loading map…
Transport score100 / 100
On the map
Registered HMOs
Approved HMO conversions
Pending HMO applications
Schools & catchment3 schools nearby
Nearby schoolsOfsted-rated, nearest first3 of 5
Caversham Nursery School
Nursery · Local authority nursery school · RG4 5NA
Not rated
New Bridge Nursery School
Nursery · Local authority nursery school · RG4 5AU
Not rated
St Anne's Catholic Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school · RG4 5AA
Not rated
Ofsted · postcode-area match. Catchment areas vary year to year — verify with the local council before relying for school admissions.
Tax treatment
-£3,730/yr kept
Annual gross rent£26,940
Section 24 credit£0
Annual tax due£0
Post-tax Monthly profitannual-£3,730
Exit costs
-£7,146 after CGT
Projected sale price (5y · 2%/yr growth)£524,438
Capital gain (pre-CGT)£49,438
Sale costs (~2.5%)£13,111
CGT due (Ltd Co 25%)£0
No personal CGT — the gain is taxed at the company level (corporation tax) when the SPV disposes of the property.
Total cash neededdeposit + costs (loan covers the rest)£179,525
Green = verified data. Amber = market typical. Red = our estimate — verify before offering.
About this propertydescription · zoopla
Description& agent copyZoopla
Grapevine Estate Agents take pleasure in bringing to the market a substantial and well presented five bedroom HMO property, tucked away within a quiet non through location and ideally positioned within comfortable walking distance of Reading town centre and Reading Station.
Currently operating as a successful House in Multiple Occupation, the property generates an impressive annual income of approximately £38,580, making it a highly attractive turnkey investment opportunity…
5.67% Return before costs — around the area average for this property type.
Monthly profit −£311/mo at the default 25% deposit @ 5.5% — open the calculator to stress-test.
Energy rating B — Min. energy standard 2030 compliant.
Price
£475K
10% above sold comps
Return before costs (best)
8.76%
Rent by the room
Bedrooms
5
1 bath
Energy rating
B
Energy rating
Run the numbers
Each tab prefills
What-if calculator
Edit any input — outputs recalc liveRates as of 20 May 2026
Buy-to-Let. Standard rental on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy. Single household, market rent, paid monthly direct to landlord (or via agent). (hover any strategy tab for pros + cons)
Offer (£)
Monthly rent (£)
Local comp range: £745–£5,612/mo · n=5
Financing
DepositYour cash in — the rest is the mortgage25% · £118,750
5%100% (cash buy)
Standard 75% LTV for BTL
Mortgage rate5y fixed5.8%
3.0%9.0%
5-year fixed at 75% LTV — 5.75% (as of 2026-05-20).
Mortgage term (years)
Stress rate6.5%
5.0%9.0%
BoE base + 2pp stress (6.5%)
Acquisition costs
Refurb (£)
Per-property refurb estimate from the element rate-card model (£1,406–£2,625 range), VAT-inclusive
Legal + survey (£)
Standard house — £1,400 legal + £750 survey
Mortgage fees (£)
2% product fee on £356,250 loan + £1,000 booking fee
Short-let (SA) context243 active short-lets nearby
Short-let market context
Local nightly-rate and occupancy benchmarks for this postcode.
243 active short-let listings in this postcode
Housing-benefit (LHA) scheme detailBRMA Reading · cap £1,649/mo
Housing-benefit rent scheme detail
Per-BRMA Local Housing Allowance + per-LA council leasing scheme.
Rental Market Area (BRMA):
Reading
LHA monthly cap:
£1,649
Scheme type:
other
Premium:
+700% premium over LHA cap
Typical lease:
0 years lease
Management:
landlord pays agent (typical 10%)
Year-by-year Monthly profit (5-yr horizon)
Net Monthly profit after tax. Rent + costs compound at their growth rates; mortgage principal amortises year-by-year for repayment loans.
Mortgage paydownRent profitbefore price growth
Full year-by-year breakdown
Year
Gross Rent
Op Costs
Mortgage
Equity Built
Tax
Net
Cumulative
Year 1
£26,940
£6,478
£23,156
£0
£0
-£2,694
-£2,694
Year 2
£27,748
£6,672
£23,156
£0
£0
-£2,080
-£4,775
Year 3
£28,581
£6,873
£23,156
£0
£0
-£1,448
-£6,223
Year 4
£29,438
£7,079
£23,156
£0
£0
-£797
-£7,020
Year 5
£30,321
£7,291
£23,156
£0
£0
-£126
-£7,146
Rent by the roomupside
Tap to expand
Rent by the room conversion upside—▾
Required
Rooms (3+)5 bd
Conversion£1,000
If converted
Gross / mo£3,467
Gross Rent by the room yield8.76%
What we verified
12 total
6006
Legal & planning4▾
Article 4HMO restriction lookupUnknown
Rent by the room licensingMandatory if 5+ unrelatedAlready licensed
TenureTenure typeFreehold
HeritageListed building / conservation areaNot stated on the listing
Building condition3▾
EPCEnergy efficiency ratingB
EWS1External wall safety (cladding)Not stated on the listing
Refurb costBased on beds + baths + sqftEstimate available
Area3▾
Crimepolice.uk · monthlyChecking…
SchoolsGIAS · OfstedChecking…
FloodEA Flood Map · England onlyChecking…
Investor profile2▾
Tenant profileBeds + postcode heuristicRent by the room / sharers
Rent by the room feasibilityMin 3 beds for C4 routeFeasible
Comparables
sold within 0.5 mi
Wide · CV 19.2%Med confidence
Loading nearby sold…
Location & transport
Score 100/100
Loading map…
PropertySchoolsUniversitiesStationsArticle 4
Transport detail not loaded for this property.
Tax & exit
Ltd Co
Tax bandLtd Co 25%
Mortgage-interest tax rule credit£4,631
Annual rental tax£0
CGT yr 5£0 · company level
5y net total-£7,146
Acquisition costs
£168K
25% deposit£118,750
Stamp duty£37,500
Refurb£1,875
Legal + survey£2,150
Mortgage + broker£8,125
Cash needed£168,400
Green = verified data. Amber = market typical. Red = our estimate — verify before offering.
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Description& agent copyZoopla
Grapevine Estate Agents take pleasure in bringing to the market a substantial and well presented five bedroom HMO property, tucked away within a quiet non through location and ideally positioned within comfortable walking distance of Reading town centre and Reading Station.
Currently operating as a successful House in Multiple Occupation, the property generates an impressive annual income of approximately £38,580, making it a highly attractive turnkey investment opportunity…