UK Buy vs Rent Calculator

Make informed property decisions

Changelog

New features, improvements and fixes to the UK Buy vs Rent Calculator.

New feature

Council tax included for UK renters

The UK comparison now reflects that council tax is paid by the occupier, whether they rent or buy.

  • Council tax is now factored into the UK renting scenario, since in the UK it is paid by the tenant rather than the owner.
  • The How It Works page explains the assumption of a comparable rented home so the tax doesn't tilt the comparison.
Fix

Analytics reliability fixes

  • Repaired the Plausible analytics script so page visits are recorded correctly.
Improvement

Cleaner chart and clearer inputs

A round of layout work to make the results easier to read at a glance.

  • The cost chart now uses a 3:2 aspect ratio and sits at the top of the results for quicker reading.
  • Replaced hover tooltips with inline hint text so guidance is visible without hovering.
  • Simplified the years axis on the chart and tidied the overall page layout.
Improvement

Search-engine and metadata improvements

  • Added a canonical tag to every page and fixed duplicate heading and description tags.
  • Added an Open Graph image so shared links show a preview card.
Fix

More accurate results and correct formatting

Several calculation and display bugs were corrected.

  • Fixed a bug that could show renting as always more expensive than buying.
  • Results now display the correct currency symbol and drop misleading decimal places.
  • Corrected the mortgage term shown in the text beneath the chart.
New feature

Preset investments and crossover point

  • Choose from preset investment options such as global stocks, bonds and cryptocurrencies when setting your expected return.
  • The chart now marks the crossover point where buying overtakes renting.