BRR & BRRR Calculator UK
Work out how much cash a buy, refurbish, refinance deal leaves in, how much equity you create, and your return on the money that stays in the deal. Stamp duty is calculated automatically for England & NI, Scotland and Wales.
Your numbers
The value the lender's surveyor puts on the finished property.
Purchase & running costs
Both sets of legals, sourcing and other one-off costs.
Finance & holding costs
Purchase to the refinance.
Repaid from the refinance.
Council tax, insurance, utilities.
Your results
- Money left in after refinance
- £18,770
- Equity created
- £35,000
- Equity retained
- £40,000
- Return on Money Left In
- 4.6%
- Monthly cashflow
- £72
the refinance returns £50,000 of the £68,770 you put in
annual cashflow ÷ money left in
after refinance
- Total project costpurchase + refurb + tax + costs + finance + holding
- £138,770
- Cash needed before refinancetotal project cost less the £70,000 bridging loan
- £68,770
- SDLT (England & N. Ireland)
- £5,000
- Finance costs£70,000 bridge: interest and fees over 6 months
- £4,270
- Holding costs£250 a month for 6 months
- £1,500
- Refinance mortgage75% of end value
- £120,000
- Monthly mortgage paymentinterest-only
- £550
Interest is simple monthly interest on the full loan for the project length, which is what retained or serviced bridging charges. Rolled-up interest that compounds monthly costs slightly more.
Free to use, no sign-up needed. Figures are estimates for guidance, not financial or tax advice.
How the BRR calculator works
The BRR strategy (buy, refurbish, refinance) aims to recycle your capital: you buy with cash or bridging finance, add value through refurbishment, then remortgage against the new, higher value to pull most of your money back out. The property stays in your portfolio as a rental. This calculator follows the deal through each of those steps using the same engine as Dealist's full deal analyser.
Total project cost and the cash you need
Total project cost = purchase price + refurbishment + stamp duty + legal and other costs + finance and holding costs. Choose cash, a bridging loan or a mortgage for the purchase: the loan is repaid from the refinance, and its interest and fees and the holding costs until the refinance all count as project costs. Bridging interest is charged on the full loan at the monthly rate for every month of the project. Cash needed before refinance = total project cost − the bridging loan or purchase mortgage. That is the money you actually put in. Stamp duty is not a guess: it is computed from the real 2026 rate tables at additional-property rates, using SDLT for England and Northern Ireland, LBTT with the 8% Additional Dwelling Supplement for Scotland, or LTT higher rates for Wales.
Refinance mortgage and money left in
Refinance mortgage = end value × refinance LTV. If the finished property values at £160,000 and you refinance at 75%, the new mortgage is £120,000.
Money left in = total project cost − refinance mortgage. This is the headline BRR number: the cash still trapped in the deal after the remortgage has repaid the purchase loan and handed the rest back to you. If the refinance covers the whole project cost, money left in is zero or negative and your capital is fully recycled.
Equity created and retained
Equity created = end value − purchase price − refurbishment. It measures the value you added beyond what you paid for the property and the works. Equity retained = end value − refinance mortgage is the slice of the property you still own outright after refinancing, your buffer against price falls.
Cashflow and Return on Money Left In
Monthly cashflow = rent − (interest-only mortgage payment + management + maintenance + void allowance + insurance). The mortgage payment is calculated on the refinanced loan at your chosen rate. Voids are spread across the year: 2 void weeks deducts 2/52 of the rent each month. Management and maintenance are charged on the full rent, before the void allowance, which slightly overstates them in weeks the property is empty.
Return on Money Left In = annual cashflow ÷ money left in. Because the denominator is only the cash still in the deal, a small amount left in produces a high percentage, so read it alongside the money left in itself. If nothing is left in and the deal still cashflows, the return is infinite, which is the whole point of the strategy; if nothing is left in and the cashflow is negative, there is no meaningful return figure and the calculator shows N/A.
Worked example
You buy a tired two-bed terrace for £100,000 with a 70% bridging loan at 0.85% a month, spend £25,000 on a full refurbishment, and 6 months later the end value comes in at £160,000. Council tax, insurance and utilities cost £250 a month until then. You refinance at 75% LTV and let it for £850 a month.
| Purchase price | £100,000 |
| Refurbishment | £25,000 |
| SDLT (additional-property rates) | £5,000 |
| Legal and other costs | £3,000 |
| Bridging interest (£70,000 at 0.85% a month for 6 months) | £3,570 |
| Arrangement fee (1% of the loan) | £700 |
| Holding costs (£250 a month for 6 months) | £1,500 |
| Total project cost | £138,770 |
| Less the bridging loan (70% of the price) | -£70,000 |
| Cash needed before refinance | £68,770 |
| Refinance mortgage (75% of £160,000) | £120,000 |
| Money left in | £18,770 |
The refinance repays the £70,000 bridging loan and returns £50,000 of the £68,770 you put in, leaving £18,770 in the deal (£138,770 − £120,000). You created £35,000 of equity (£160,000 − £100,000 − £25,000) and retain £40,000 after the remortgage. At £850 rent, with a £550 interest-only payment on the new mortgage plus running costs, the deal cashflows about £72 a month. That is roughly 4.6% a year on the £18,770 still in the deal. Leave out the £5,770 of finance and holding costs and the money left in looks like £13,000: the cost of money is real. Figures are rounded to the nearest pound.
Frequently asked questions
What does BRR stand for in property?
Buy, Refurbish, Refinance (often written BRRR or BRRRR, adding Rent and Repeat). You buy a property below its potential value, add value through refurbishment, then remortgage against the higher end value to pull most of your capital back out while keeping the property as a rental.
What does "money left in" mean?
Money left in is the cash still tied up in the deal after you refinance: the total project cost (purchase, refurbishment, stamp duty, fees, finance and holding costs) minus the refinance mortgage you draw down. The refinance first repays any bridging loan or purchase mortgage, and what is left comes back to you. If the project costs £133,000 and you refinance at £120,000, you have £13,000 left in. The lower the figure, the faster you can recycle your capital into the next deal.
What loan-to-value can I refinance at?
It depends on the lender and the product: each lender sets its own maximum loan-to-value for a buy-to-let remortgage. The rent also has to pass the lender’s stress test, which checks that it covers the mortgage payment at a stressed interest rate by a margin the lender sets, so a high LTV is only achievable if the rent supports it.
Do I pay stamp duty on a BRR deal?
Yes, on the purchase price when you buy, at the additional-property rates if you already own a home. This calculator works it out automatically using the correct tax for the property’s nation: SDLT in England and Northern Ireland, LBTT plus ADS in Scotland, or LTT higher rates in Wales. There is no further purchase tax at refinance.
Can I refinance within six months of buying?
It depends on the lender: each sets its own criteria, and some restrict a remortgage in the first six months after purchase. Check the criteria of the lender you plan to use before you buy, and build the time until you can refinance into your holding costs.
What if the end valuation comes in lower than expected?
A down-valuation is the biggest risk in BRR. If the surveyor values the finished property below your target, the refinance mortgage shrinks and your money left in grows. Test your deal at 5% and 10% below your expected end value before committing, and base end values on sold comparables, not asking prices.
Is 100% capital recycling realistic?
It can happen, but do not build the plan around it. Pulling all of your money out requires buying well below market value, adding genuine value with the refurbishment, and getting a full valuation. Plan for some money to stay in the deal; the question is whether the equity created and the cashflow justify it.
Sources
The stamp duty in this calculator uses the rates each tax authority publishes, applied to the nation you choose. Everything else, such as rent, mortgage rate and costs, is an assumption you set. Last reviewed . Rates can change at a Budget, so confirm the current figure with the tax authority or your conveyancer before you commit to a purchase.
England and Northern Ireland (Stamp Duty Land Tax)
- Stamp Duty Land Tax: residential property rates (opens in a new tab) · HMRC, GOV.UK
- Higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (opens in a new tab) · HMRC, GOV.UK
- Rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax for non-UK residents (opens in a new tab) · HMRC, GOV.UK
- Stamp Duty Land Tax: corporate bodies (opens in a new tab) · HMRC, GOV.UK
Scotland (Land and Buildings Transaction Tax)
- LBTT residential property rates and bands (opens in a new tab) · Revenue Scotland
- The Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS) (opens in a new tab) · Revenue Scotland
Wales (Land Transaction Tax)
- Land Transaction Tax rates and bands (opens in a new tab) · Welsh Revenue Authority, GOV.WALES
- Higher rates of Land Transaction Tax: overview (opens in a new tab) · Welsh Revenue Authority, GOV.WALES
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