The BTL engine scores every active sale listing on rental yield against the real lender stress test (ICR 145% at 5.5% notional). Gold tier delivers ≥8% gross yield (strong cash flow + headroom on rate moves). Silver 6-7.99% (clears most ICR tests). Bronze 4.5-5.99% (marginal — works on cash-heavy or low-LTV deals). Anything below 4.5% doesn't fit the BTL mortgage stress test — we tell you upfront.
BTL = Buy-to-Let. You buy a property to rent out long-term to a single household on a standard AST (assured shorthold tenancy). The economics are simple but unforgiving: rent has to clear the lender's interest cover ratio (ICR) — typically 145% of the mortgage payment at a notional rate of 5.5%. On a 75% LTV BTL mortgage that means you need a gross yield of about 4.5% just to qualify. Below that, no lender will touch it. Above 8%, the deal has real cash flow headroom — enough to cover voids, repairs, agency fees, and a rate move without going negative. Our engine evaluates every active sale listing against the rental yield estimate from comparable lets in the same postcode, then tiers the result so you can skip the maths and just look at the deals that actually stack.
Gold: ≥8% gross yield (passes ICR with rate-move headroom + void cover). Silver: 6-7.99% (passes typical ICR at 75% LTV). Bronze: 4.5-5.99% (marginal — passes only on lower-rate trackers or sub-65% LTV). Excluded: <4.5% (no BTL lender will fund it), rental listing, commercial / land, or no yield data.
Rental estimate comes from comparable lets in the same postcode, not a generic AVM. We pull the most recent let-agreed rents within 0.5mi for the same bed count + property type, take the median, and compute gross yield as (annual rent / asking price) × 100. Every property's yield breakdown shows the comparable sample size + source so you can sense-check it.
We assume the lender's ICR formula: monthly rent must be ≥ (mortgage interest at notional rate × 145%). With 5.5% notional + 75% LTV, that means rent ≥ 5.16% of asking price annually — or 4.5% gross yield. The Bronze threshold matches this floor exactly. If a listing tiers Bronze or higher, it'll pass the standard portfolio-lender stress test.
Every excluded property carries a specific reason: "Rental listing — cannot be acquired as BTL", "Yield 3.2% below 4.5% threshold", "Not a residential let candidate (Commercial)", "No rental yield estimate available". No mystery exclusions — you see exactly why a listing didn't make the cut.
It depends on your mortgage rate + LTV. At current 5.5% portfolio rates and 75% LTV, you need 4.5% gross yield just to qualify (ICR 145%). For comfortable cash flow after voids, repairs, and a 6.5% management fee, target 6-7% — that's our Silver band. For genuine cash-flowing rental that survives a 2% rate spike, target 8%+ (Gold). Gold-tier properties in 2026 tend to be 2-3 bed terraces / semis in NE / NW / Yorkshire / SW / Welsh valleys at sub-£150k price points. London + South East are typically Silver at best.
BTL = buy + rent (the property is already lettable, no refurb needed). BRRR = buy + refurb + refinance + rent (you add value via works, refinance against the higher ARV, recycle most of your capital). BTL is faster, lower-risk, and demands a higher entry yield to be worthwhile. BRRR is slower, higher-risk, and works on properties with too-low entry yield because you're raising the rent by upgrading. Most investors run a mix. Our engine scores both — see /properties/brrr-candidates for the BRRR-eligible feed.
Yields shown are gross (annual rent / asking price). Section 24 affects your net income tax position — it doesn't change the gross yield or the lender's ICR stress test. For full-rate (40%/45%) taxpayers, the optimal structure is usually a limited company SPV which sidesteps Section 24 entirely. The scoring engine doesn't pick a structure for you, but the yield + ICR numbers it surfaces are the same whether you hold personally or via Ltd.
Because you can't acquire a rental listing — it's already let, not for sale. The BTL playbook is about identifying sale listings whose numbers stack for letting. Rental listings get evaluated separately by the R2R (Rent-to-Rent) playbook for sub-let opportunities. The disqualifier reason is shown clearly on the property page so there's no confusion.
Save your BTL buying box (location, max price, min yield) and get instant alerts when Gold or Silver tier listings hit the market — already pre-scored against ICR 145% / 5.5% so you skip straight to the deals that will actually fund.
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