Local Housing Allowance here
Blackwater Valley rates, 2026–27, a month: shared room £478 · 1 bed £800 · 2 beds £1,000 · 3 beds £1,295 · 4 beds £1,700. The most housing support a tenant on benefits can get here; a guide to the bottom of the market.
Planning
We have no HMO Article 4 data for this council, so we cannot say. Check with the council. HMO guide
Cash in
| Deposit (25% of price) | £173,500 |
| Stamp Duty Land Tax (additional-home rates) | £59,400 |
| Legal fees | £1,800 |
| Survey | £600 |
| Total cash in | £235,300 |
Stamp Duty Land Tax: £59,400
| £0 – £125,000 | 5% | £6,250 |
| £125,000 – £250,000 | 7% | £8,750 |
| £250,000 – £694,000 | 10% | £44,400 |
Additional-home rates, as checked in October 2026. Buying through a company, or replacing your main home, can change this. Stamp duty calculator
A year of letting
| Rent (6 rooms x £600 a month) | £43,200 |
| Mortgage payments (interest only, 5% on £520,500) | −£26,025 |
| Voids (5% of rent) | −£2,160 |
| Letting and management (10% of rent collected) | −£4,104 |
| Repairs and maintenance (8% of rent) | −£3,456 |
| Landlord insurance | −£350 |
| Bills you pay (energy, water, broadband, council tax) | −£5,400 |
| Cash flow before tax | £1,705 (£142 a month) |
- Gross yield
- 6.2%
- Net yield (before mortgage)
- 4.0%
- Return on cash in
- 0.7%
Will a lender agree?
Lenders usually test the rent against interest at a higher “stress” rate, here 7%. Rent covers it by 125% (basic-rate taxpayers and companies): no; by 145% (higher-rate taxpayers): no. The rent supports a loan of about £493,714 or £425,616. Lenders differ.
- The rent may not pass a typical lender stress test: lenders often want rent to cover interest at 7% by 125%, which caps the loan near £493,714.
- With 5 or more tenants from 2 or more households, a mandatory HMO licence is needed everywhere in England; many councils license smaller HMOs too.
All figures are before income tax. Individual landlords cannot deduct mortgage interest in full (they get a 20% tax credit instead), so higher-rate taxpayers pay tax on more than their cash flow. This is a calculator, not financial advice. Read the guide