Buy-to-let deal analyser
Put in the price and the rent. See the stamp duty, the cash flow, and whether the money works, free.
Check the money on a deal
It opens on an example deal: type over it with yours.
What it would re-let for today.
From the listing. 0 if there isn't one.
The share of the price you put in.
Uses typical costs for the rest (letting agent, repairs, insurance, and fees). The full screener lets you change every figure.
On the money:
Buy-grade
Passes the money lines.
The money only. The property checks are in the full screener.
Stamp duty
£6,600
At the higher rates for an additional property: you'll own more than one home, or you're buying through a company.
Monthly cash flow
£263
After the mortgage and typical costs.
Gross yield
9.0%
A year's rent ÷ the price.
The money lines
- 1.71×Pass
Lender's rent test (ICR)
Fail under 1.25× at a 7% test rate.
- £263Pass
Monthly cash flow
Caution under £150. Fail under £100. Set your own in the full screener.
- 7.3%Pass
Cash-on-cash return
Caution under 7%. Fail under 5%. Set your own in the full screener.
In the full screener
- Locked: Lease length
- Locked: Ground rent doubles
- Locked: Ground rent
- Locked: Energy rating (EPC)
- Locked: Service charge and ground rent
- Locked: Cladding
- Locked: How the numbers add up
- Locked: The Deal calculator: holiday lets, company tax, and what if occupancy changes
- Locked: Print, one clean page per tab
What it checks
The free check works out the money on a flat or a house:
- stamp duty land tax (SDLT) at the higher rates for an additional property;
- the monthly cash flow, after the mortgage and typical costs;
- the gross yield: a year’s rent against the price;
- the cash-on-cash return: a year’s cash flow against the cash you put in;
- the lender’s rent test (interest cover ratio, ICR): whether the rent covers the mortgage interest 1.25 times at a 7% test rate.
The full screener adds the property red lines (the lease, ground rent, energy rating, cladding, flood risk, and construction), a breakdown of every figure, and the Deal calculator for holiday lets, company tax, and occupancy.
How the verdict works
Each red line comes out as a pass, a caution, or a fail. Any fail means walk away. Two or more cautions mean investigate. Otherwise the deal is buy-grade: worth a closer look, not a promise.
The free check gives its verdict on the money alone, and says so. It can’t see the lease, the building, or the energy rating, so buy-grade on the money is where the questions start.
Who it’s for
Landlords, and people about to become one, who want an honest first look at a buy-to-let before they pay for a survey or a solicitor. The stamp duty follows the rules for England and Northern Ireland.
Questions
- Why is the stamp duty higher on a buy-to-let?
- If you’ll own more than one home once you’ve bought, or you’re buying through a company, you pay the higher rates for additional properties: an extra 5% in each band. That’s the rule in England and Northern Ireland: higher rates for additional properties, on GOV.UK.
- What is the lender’s rent test (ICR)?
- The interest cover ratio: a year’s rent divided by a year’s mortgage interest, worked out at a test rate. The screener fails a deal under 1.25 times at a 7% rate. Lenders set their own tests, so check yours with your broker.
- Is the verdict financial advice?
- No. It’s a screening tool, not financial advice. Check the figures with your broker, solicitor, and surveyor before you offer.
- What does a plan unlock?
- All 9 red lines for a flat (a house has 8), how the numbers add up, the Deal calculator for holiday lets, company tax, and occupancy, and a clean printout of each. Plans start at £9.99 a month, and Datestone subscribers get it included: see the plans.
- Does it work in Scotland or Wales?
- The money checks do; the stamp duty doesn’t. Scotland has Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, and Wales has Land Transaction Tax, each with its own rates.