Turning a Loss-Making Property into a Profitable Investment
The Situation
Our client, a 45-year-old self-employed landlord, was looking to sell one of her buy-to-let properties after it started making a loss.
She approached one of our partner estate agents for help with the sale. With tax costs rising and a modest income being drawn from her business, she was concerned that keeping the property wasn’t financially viable—and that lenders might not support her due to her low declared salary.
The Challenge
There were several barriers to getting the right finance in place:
- The property was no longer turning a profit once tax was factored in
- The client had not reviewed the rent in some time, meaning rental income was below market value
- As a self-employed borrower with a low salary, she worried lender criteria would rule her out
- Her plan was to sell at a loss, just to relieve the financial pressure
Our Solution
Instead of selling, we helped her restructure her portfolio for profit. Here’s what we did:
- Worked with our partner letting agent to carry out a rental review
→ The rent was increased from £922 to £1,400 per month - Connected her with a new accountant to explore tax efficiencies
- Sourced a new mortgage offer, reducing her rate from 6.51% to 4.29%
→ Monthly payments dropped from £616 to £406 - With the improved cash flow, she was able to borrow an extra £30,000 to fund improvements on another property in her portfolio
The outcome
What began as a plan to sell a loss-making property ended with a profitable rental—and a strategy to boost returns on another.
The client was delighted and has since:
- Recommended Windsor Hill Mortgages to friends and contacts
- Started working with our partner letting agent to optimise rental income across her other properties
