What is the Sell or Keep your BTL calculator?
The Sell vs Keep Your BTL(s) In Retirement Calculator helps you compare the long-term income you could receive from selling your rental properties today versus keeping them for rental income and selling later. It highlights the sustainable income each option can produce, the timing differences, and the trade-off between ongoing rental income and investing lump-sum proceeds for long-term drawdown.
How the Calculator Works?
The calculator models two retirement paths:
- Option A: Sell now — Your buy-to-let properties are sold immediately, with net proceeds invested. You then draw a sustainable annual income from these invested funds.
- Option B: Keep and rent — You keep the properties until age 70, earning rental income each year. At age 70, you sell the properties, invest the proceeds and then switch to drawing sustainable income from the invested sale value.
The tool then provides a year-by-year comparison of the income each option can sustainably support, helping you understand which approach may offer the best long-term outcome for your retirement.
Step One: Enter Your BTL Portfolio Details
Add your rental properties, current values, mortgage balances and net annual rental income. This creates the baseline for both sell and keep scenarios.
Step Two: Choose Your Assumptions
Set your expected real investment return, sustainable withdrawal rate and the intended sale age if keeping the properties. These assumptions shape your long-term income projections.
Step Three: Compare the Two Retirement Paths
Review the year-by-year sustainable income for selling now versus keeping the properties until later. Adjust property values, rental income or assumptions to understand which option aligns best with your retirement goals.
Disclaimer:
This calculator is for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Always check your official State Pension forecast for your exact entitlement and eligibility for voluntary contributions.
What does retirement mean to you?
Traditional retirement is broken. Understand how our calculator enables you to live a better life now vs later.
Retire from corporate work?
Use the tool to utilise how you can step away from the corporate world and live life on your own terms.
Work less, live more
See how part-time or project-based work can bridge your income gap while giving you more time for life.
Freedom through planning
Understand how your savings, spending and investments can work together to buy back your time.
Test-drive retirement early
Model scenarios that let you experience elements of retirement before fully stepping away.
What is the State Pension Gap Calculator?
The State Pension Gap Calculator shows how many NI years you are on track to have by State Pension age, identifies any shortfall and helps you understand your pro-rata State Pension and top-up options.
What does this calculator compare?
It compares the long-term sustainable income from selling your BTLs today versus continuing to rent them before selling at a later age.
Does the tool include taxes?
Yes. At the time of creation, those tax rates are accurate, but with everything associated with the UK, they may be subject to change very quickly, so please let us know of any inaccuracies.
Does this calculator include my other retirement income?
Yes. Although the comparison focuses on the financial outcomes of selling or keeping your BTLs, the model also includes your other investment pots such as SIPPs, ISAs, GIAs and cash. These balances continue to grow and support your retirement alongside the BTL scenario you choose. This gives you a holistic picture rather than viewing your property in isolation.
Why does the model use sustainable drawdown instead of withdrawing everything?
A sustainable withdrawal rate helps show how much income can reasonably be maintained over the long term without depleting the investment too quickly.
What happens if I keep my properties beyond age 70?
You can adjust the sale age. Keeping properties longer keeps rental income flowing but reduces the time your invested proceeds can grow.
How accurate are the results?
They are estimates based on your assumptions. Changes in property values, rents and investment returns will influence the real outcome.
Is my data stored?
No. All calculations run fully in your browser.
Is this financial advice?
No. It is an illustrative planning tool only.