19 Rowley Lane, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6 5PA

Description

A vacant three-bedroom end-of-terrace house arranged over ground and first floors. The ground floor comprises two reception rooms and a kitchen, with three bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor. Externally there are front and rear gardens. The property is freehold and has an EPC rating of D.

Location

Rowley Lane is a residential road in Borehamwood, with access to local schools, parks, shops and bus services. Elstree & Borehamwood railway station provides direct services towards central London, while the A1 and M25 are accessible for road connections.

Investment Analysis

Investment Snapshot

Property & Refurbishment

The auctioneer does not describe major structural defects, so I would initially allow £25,000–£40,000 for an investor-standard refurbishment covering kitchen/bathroom updating where required, decoration, flooring, electrical/heating repairs, joinery, garden works and contingency. A full survey remains necessary before bidding because the listing alone cannot establish roof, damp, structural or services condition.

Rental Analysis

Current Borehamwood three-bedroom house asking evidence is broadly around £2,000–£2,500 pcm. For appraisal I would test £2,000 pcm as the conservative case, £2,200 pcm as the target and £2,400 pcm as the upper case. This gives £24,000–£28,800 per annum and approximately 9.6%–11.5% gross on the guide. At the £282,500 midpoint purchase-plus-works basis, £2,200 pcm produces about 9.3% gross before finance, management, maintenance, insurance, compliance, voids and tax.

GDV / Resale Analysis

Recent Rowley Lane sales provide useful same-street evidence, including £450,000 for number 23 in February 2024 and £514,000 for number 3 in March 2022. Allowing for the subject's condition and auction positioning, I would use an indicative £425,000–£475,000 completed-value range. This is an AI-assisted investment appraisal estimate and not a formal RICS valuation.

Properties Sold Within Approx. 5 Miles

The 2024 sale at number 23 is the strongest same-street evidence. The older sales help demonstrate the established capital-value range but should receive less weight because of their age. Bedroom count, floor area and condition should be checked before fixing the final GDV.

Potential BRRR Position

Using the £450,000 midpoint GDV, a hypothetical 75% LTV refinance would be approximately £337,500. Against a midpoint purchase-plus-works basis of about £282,500, that suggests the potential to recycle the guide-and-works capital before acquisition costs, subject to lender valuation, rental stress tests and borrower criteria.

Flip Analysis

At midpoint assumptions the headline difference between approximately £282,500 purchase-plus-works and £450,000 GDV is substantial, but it is not profit. SDLT, the auction administration fee, legal costs, finance, holding costs, utilities, insurance, selling fees and contingency must be deducted. The same-street evidence makes a refurbishment resale credible if works can be controlled.

Investor Risks & Due Diligence

• Obtain a full building survey and contractor quotations before fixing the works budget.




• Check the legal pack, title, boundaries and all additional auction disbursements.




• Verify achievable rent against current completed lettings rather than asking evidence alone.




• Confirm comparable property sizes and condition before relying on the £425,000–£475,000 GDV.

Recommendation

Preferred strategy: BRRR / Buy-to-Let. The low guide relative to same-street capital evidence creates a potentially attractive equity position, while the local rental market supports a useful income return. The key variables are actual refurbishment cost and whether the completed value can be independently supported toward the middle of the estimated range.

Strategy Rating

BRRR: ★★★★★

Buy-to-Let: ★★★★☆

Flip: ★★★★☆

Development: ★★☆☆☆