01 · Missed income
Lost rent is the first layer
The tool converts monthly rent to a daily figure using 365.25 days and multiplies it by the exact empty period you enter.
Free private calculator · reviewed 14 September 2026
What is an empty rental property costing you?
Model one void period with the rent not collected, bills that keep leaving your account and the one-off cost of getting the property ready and let again.
Replace the example figures
Nothing is saved or sent
Enter the actual council bill for the property's empty status and your current finance payment. The defaults are an illustration, not UK averages.
Total cash-flow exposure
£2,617
for the entered 28-day empty period and one-off re-let work
- Rent not collected
- £1,012
- Bills funded while empty
- £856
- Re-let and readiness costs
- £750
- Each extra empty day
- £67
- Equivalent rent
- 2.4 months
- Share of headline annual rent
- 19.8%
This combines missed income with cash bills, so it is not an accounting-profit, tax, yield or mortgage calculation. A capital repayment may build equity even though the cash still leaves your account.
The useful decision
One fewer empty week is worth about £467.
That figure removes seven days of missed rent and time-based bills only. It does not pretend advertising, referencing, cleaning or repairs disappear as well.
02 · Holding bills
Use the actual empty-home bill
Council Tax treatment is local. Insurance, utilities and finance also depend on your contracts, so the calculator asks for your figures instead of inventing an average.
03 · Turnover work
Keep one-off costs separate
Cleaning, safety work, repairs, advertising, referencing, inventory and agent charges do not necessarily fall just because the property lets sooner.
Important boundaries before using the result
Council Tax varies locally
GOV.UK says an empty owner will usually pay Council Tax, while a council can choose local discounts. In England, a council may add a premium after a home has been unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for at least one year. Check the property's council and enter the confirmed annual charge, including any premium.
Read the government Council Tax guide →This is not a tax return
HMRC lists expenses that can be deductible when they are wholly and exclusively for renting out the property, but the treatment depends on what was paid and why. This page deliberately does not label an entered cost as tax-deductible.
Check HMRC rental-income guidance →Questions landlords ask
Void cost FAQ
How do I calculate the cost of a rental void?
Add the rent not collected during the empty days, the bills you still need to fund for those days, and one-off preparation and re-letting costs. Keep each layer visible so a recurring bill is not confused with a one-off invoice.
Who pays Council Tax when a rental property is empty?
The owner will usually need to deal with Council Tax while nobody occupies the property, but discounts, exemptions and empty-home premiums depend on the property and local council. Enter the actual amount confirmed by the council rather than assuming an automatic discount.
Does rent guarantee insurance cover a normal void between tenants?
Do not assume it does. Tenant-default cover, damage-related loss of rent and an ordinary empty period are different risks. Read the current policy wording and quotation for the exact insured events and conditions.
Why does the calculator show finance payments separately from yield?
A mortgage payment is a real cash commitment during an empty period, but capital repayment is not the same as an operating expense. The result is a cash-flow exposure, not an accounting profit, tax deduction or investment return.
What void period should I assume?
Use evidence from the property, local enquiry and previous tenancies, then test more than one duration. This calculator does not insert a claimed national average because location, price, property type, condition and marketing can change the outcome.