Investment comparison engine
Holiday Let Investment Comparison Engine
Compare two holiday let investment opportunities across UK and European destinations using financial assumptions, operating assumptions and qualitative risk indicators.
This educational engine is designed for shortlisting and due diligence planning. It does not recommend buying and does not replace local legal, tax, mortgage, planning, licensing or investment advice.
Use it to compare cashflow, yield, break-even occupancy, operating-cost pressure, stress resilience and local-rule review priority before moving into a paid workbook or Pro workflow.
Continue analysing this property
Run the Holiday Let Calculator after the comparison to test one specific property in more detail.
Run the calculatorExplore investment areas
Open the UK and Europe area pages when the comparison raises destination-level rule, seasonality or management questions.
Explore areasCompare several investments
Use Pro when you need to track assumptions, shortlists and post-purchase performance workflows across repeated comparisons.
Open Pro TrackerNeed a professional investment model?
Use the Holiday Let Investor Spreadsheet for one serious property model with setup, purchase-cost and break-even detail.
Use the spreadsheetUse AI Investment Intelligence
Pro can review assumptions, evidence gaps, stress tests and due-diligence questions after the deterministic comparison has been calculated.
Open AI reviewWhich tool should I use?
Pick the smallest tool that fits the decision in front of you.
Use this comparison page when the question is which opportunity deserves more work. Use the other tools when the question is about one property, one saved model or ongoing performance.
Deal Checker
Quick go/no-go review before making an offer. Use it when you have one listing, brochure or agent estimate and need a first-pass screen.
Calculator
Model one property in detail. Use it when you want to test purchase price, income, costs, finance, setup spend and break-even occupancy.
Investment Comparison Engine
Compare two areas or opportunities side by side. Use it when you are deciding whether Cornwall, Portugal, Spain, France or another destination deserves deeper work.
Spreadsheet
Build a deeper offline model and deal report for one serious property before offer, survey, legal or furnishing spend.
Pro
Track multiple properties, saved assumptions, setup spend and actual performance after the first comparison or purchase case.
AI Investment Intelligence
AI review sits after the numbers, not in place of them.
Pro AI Investment Intelligence can review the calculated comparison, stress tests, risk notes and due-diligence checklist. Expected output includes assumptions to verify, cashflow risks, missing evidence, professional questions and a structured summary report.
Run the Pro AI review
Use this after calculating the comparison. Free users can preview the workflow; API-backed reviews require active Pro access.
How to compare holiday let investments
Compare the full investment case, not just gross income.
Start with cautious assumptions for price, nightly rate, occupancy, mortgage rate, cleaning, platform fees, management and fixed running costs. Then replace every default with evidence from local comparable properties, agent quotes, management quotes, insurance, lender terms and adviser checks.
A useful comparison is not just gross yield. It should show the occupancy needed to break even, the cash exposed before launch, whether management costs absorb the upside, how mortgage sensitivity changes the result and whether local rules create a review priority before offer-stage spending.
Why assumptions matter
Every output depends on user-entered assumptions. Treat the dashboard as a structured research screen and keep a list of figures that still need quotes, comparable evidence or professional review.
Occupancy assumptions
Occupancy controls booked nights, stays, cleaning frequency, platform fees, management fees and stress-tested cashflow. A destination with a high nightly rate can still be weaker if fixed costs require unrealistic low-season bookings.
Mortgage sensitivity
The engine tests one and two percentage point mortgage-rate increases so a deal is not judged only on today's finance assumption.
Running costs and management
Cleaning, management, platform fees, utilities, insurance, maintenance, compliance and other fixed costs decide whether gross income becomes usable cashflow.
Buying abroad
Foreign purchases need separate checks for currency exposure, non-resident ownership, local tax, tourist registration, management cover, insurance and local professional advice.
Comparing UK and Europe
UK buyers should separate local-rule risk from currency, non-resident ownership, cross-border tax, local management and practical operating distance when comparing Europe with domestic areas.
Common mistakes
Common mistakes when comparing holiday let opportunities.
Most comparison errors come from treating headline revenue as evidence before checking the operating model. Use the same evidence standard on both sides, especially when comparing a UK area with a European destination.
- Comparing gross income without mortgage cost, management cost, cleaning frequency, compliance allowance and launch cash.
- Using annual occupancy without testing low-season bookings, shoulder-season pricing and blocked owner nights.
- Treating local registration, planning, lease, ownership, tax, insurance or lender checks as minor admin rather than deal filters.
- Comparing GBP and EUR cashflows without a currency conversion and exchange-rate sensitivity.
- Reading a stronger model output as a recommendation instead of a prompt for deeper due diligence.
Destination links
Move from comparison into destination-level due diligence.
FAQs
Common questions
What does the Holiday Let Investment Comparison Engine compare?
It compares two holiday-let opportunities using entered purchase price, deposit, mortgage, nightly rate, occupancy, stay length, cleaning, platform fees, management fees, operating costs, furnishing, compliance allowance and destination risk prompts.
Can I compare UK and European holiday lets?
Yes. The engine supports UK, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece. Mixed-currency comparisons should be converted before relying on the cashflow gap.
Can I compare specific regions like Cornwall and the Algarve?
Yes. Use the optional region field for Cornwall, Algarve, Costa del Sol, Dordogne, Tuscany, Crete or another micro-market, then replace defaults with local evidence for that exact property and area.
Does it recommend which property to buy?
No. It highlights stronger or weaker outputs based on the assumptions entered and lists areas requiring more investigation. It is not legal, tax, mortgage, planning or investment advice.
Can I use this before making an offer?
Yes, as an educational screening tool before offer-stage costs. Use it to identify assumptions, stress tests and professional checks that need evidence before survey, legal or finance commitments.
Does the engine include stress testing?
Yes. It shows revised net income before tax if occupancy falls by 10%, 20% and 30%, if nightly rate falls by 10%, if mortgage rate rises by one or two percentage points, if cleaning costs rise by 20% and if management fee rises by five percentage points.
Can I export the comparison?
You can copy the results or print the page. Use the print dialog to save a PDF summary where the browser supports PDF printing. Shareable saved links are planned for a later Pro workflow.
Can I save comparisons?
This free page supports copy and print export. Persistent saved comparisons are not stored here; they are planned for the Pro workflow.
Does this include tax?
It includes editable local tax or resort-fee assumptions and tax-complexity prompts, but it does not calculate tax treatment, reliefs, ownership structure, income tax, VAT, capital gains tax or cross-border reporting.
Does the tool check licences?
No. It includes local-rule and licensing prompts only. Confirm registration, permits, planning, zoning, lease or community rules, mortgage, insurance and ownership treatment with qualified local advisers.
Not legal, tax, mortgage, planning or investment advice. Rules vary by country, region, municipality and property type. Always obtain local professional advice before buying or letting property.