How we score

How we label figures

• SOURCED means we took the figure as published by a named source, on the date shown.
• ESTIMATED means it is our arithmetic on sourced figures, and we show the method.
• AyNik assumption means it is our own figure, such as a nightly rate. You can change it.
• If we don't have a figure, we say "not enough data". We never fill a gap with a guess.

The serviced accommodation analyser

The analyser compares running your property as serviced accommodation (SA) with keeping it on a standard let. It is illustrative only, not a quotation, a forecast or a promise of income.

What goes in

• Your area, bedrooms and current rent. If the property isn't let, we use the average asking rent for the area from PropertyData, with its date.
• A nightly rate and occupancy for the area. At launch these are AyNik assumptions, labelled as such.
• Every running cost, all editable. The starting figures are listed below, each with its basis. Lines still waiting for a quote are marked as starting figures.

How it works it out

1. Nights let = 365 × occupancy.
2. Income = nightly rate × nights let.
3. We take off booking-site fees. Our management fee is charged on what is left (net income). We then take off cleaning, consumables, maintenance and the fixed yearly costs.
4. What is left is the owner's net from SA.
5. We compare it with the owner's net from a standard let: monthly rent × 12, less letting costs.

The verdict

• SA worth exploring: SA earns at least 25% more than the standard let, and still breaks even at 10 points below the area's typical occupancy.
• Marginal: SA earns up to 25% more, or the break-even is close to typical occupancy.
• Stay on a standard let: SA earns no more than the standard let.

Before letting short term, check your mortgage, lease, insurance and local planning position. England's short-let registration scheme is expected but not yet in force.

The AyNik Score for auction lots

Every Monday we check North East auction lots against our published buy box and score the ones that pass. The score helps us decide which legal packs to read first. It is not advice to bid and not a valuation.

Our buy box (version 1.1, set 05/11/2026): NE, DH, SR and TS postcodes, guide prices from £5,000 to £200,000, terraced and semi-detached houses and flats in freehold blocks, with at least 7 days to the auction.

Lots we drop before scoring

• Leases under 80 years, unless a lease extension is the plan.
• Possessory or qualified title.
• Flood zone 3 without insurance evidence.
• Listings that mention structural movement, underpinning or Japanese knotweed.
• No legal pack 5 days before the auction.

We flag, but do not drop, lots where costs on top of the price are over £4,000, so the deal can be judged on its merits.

How the 100 points are made up

Bands: A 75 and over, B 60 to 74, C 45 to 59.

Why we use expected price, not guide price. A guide price usually sits near the reserve, not the final price. We score against an expected price of guide × 1.20. That figure is an AyNik assumption until we have enough logged results to fit it from real outcomes.

Where the data comes from

• PropertyData (licensed API): prices, rents, yields, demand, LHA and auction listings. We refresh it at least every 60 days.
• HM Land Registry and ONS, under the Open Government Licence, cited with dates.
• Auctioneers' own published lot details and alerts.

We don't copy listings from property portals, and we don't use listing photos.