24 October 2026 · Rents
What the rent actually was
Portal asking rents run well above what tenants sign for. A worked example from one street, and what it did to the yield.
The advert said 795
The flat was tidy, two bedrooms, five minutes from the Metro. The agent's listing said 795 pcm, and on that number the deal looked ordinary.
I asked the question I always ask: what has actually been agreed on this street in the last six months?
The answer was 650, and one at 625 that had been sitting empty for five weeks at 700.
Why it matters
On a 95,000 purchase:
- At 795 the gross yield is 10.0%
- At 650 it is 8.2%
- At 625 it is 7.9%
That is the difference between a deal that clears the screen and one that does not, produced entirely by the rent assumption rather than the property.
An asking rent is a hope. An agreed rent is evidence. Screen on the second one.
What I do now
Every enquiry asks for the rent in writing before the property goes to anyone. If the agent will not put a number in an email, that tells you something too.
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Sent straight to me, not to a list
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If you want the weekly version — what I screened, what the numbers said, and what I got wrong — it is free here.