Local Housing Allowance here
East Thames Valley rates, 2026–27, a month: shared room £592 · 1 bed £900 · 2 beds £1,200 · 3 beds £1,450 · 4 beds £1,900. 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) | £365,500 |
| Stamp Duty Land Tax (additional-home rates) | £163,050 |
| Legal fees | £1,800 |
| Survey | £600 |
| Total cash in | £530,950 |
Stamp Duty Land Tax: £163,050
| £0 – £125,000 | 5% | £6,250 |
| £125,000 – £250,000 | 7% | £8,750 |
| £250,000 – £925,000 | 10% | £67,500 |
| £925,000 – £1,462,000 | 15% | £80,550 |
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 (5 rooms x £740 a month) | £44,400 |
| Mortgage payments (interest only, 5% on £1,096,500) | −£54,825 |
| Voids (5% of rent) | −£2,220 |
| Letting and management (10% of rent collected) | −£4,218 |
| Repairs and maintenance (8% of rent) | −£3,552 |
| Landlord insurance | −£350 |
| Bills you pay (energy, water, broadband, council tax) | −£5,400 |
| Cash flow before tax | −£26,165 (−£2,180 a month) |
- Gross yield
- 3.0%
- Net yield (before mortgage)
- 2.0%
- Return on cash in
- -4.9%
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 £507,429 or £437,438. 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 £507,429.
- 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