Work out how much rent you can comfortably afford — and whether your salary meets a landlord's referencing threshold.
How much rent can I afford?
Enter your gross annual salary to see your comfortable rent range and referencing threshold.
Your results
Monthly take-home (est.)
—
after tax & NI
Comfortable max rent
—
30% of take-home
Stretched max rent
—
35% of take-home
Referencing threshold — max monthly rent your salary will pass
—
salary ÷ 30 (2.5× annual rent rule)
Referencing threshold explained: Most landlords require your gross annual salary to be at least 2.5× the annual rent. So for a property at £800/month (£9,600/year), you need to earn at least £24,000 gross. Dividing your salary by 30 gives the maximum monthly rent you'll comfortably pass referencing for.
I've found a property — what salary do I need?
Enter the monthly rent to see the minimum salary required to pass a standard referencing check.
Your results
Annual rent
—
per year
Min. salary to pass referencing
—
gross per year (2.5× rule)
Guarantor salary needed
—
gross per year (3× rule)
If your salary falls short of the referencing threshold, a guarantor — typically a parent or close relative earning at least 3× the annual rent — can make your application viable.
Estimated take-home pay uses simplified 2024/25 UK income tax and National Insurance rates (20% basic rate tax above the £12,570 personal allowance; 8% Class 1 NI on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270; 2% above that). This is an approximation — your actual take-home will vary based on pension contributions, student loan repayments, benefits, and other deductions.
Comfortable rent (30%) and stretched rent (35%) are the widely-used benchmarks for housing affordability. Spending below 30% of take-home on rent generally leaves enough room for bills, savings, and unexpected costs. Above 35% is possible but leaves little margin.
Referencing threshold is based on the 2.5× annual rent rule used by most landlords and referencing agencies. Guarantors are typically assessed at 3× annual rent.
This calculator is for guidance only and does not constitute financial advice.