Void Period Cost Calculator
Void Period Cost Calculator
This calculator works out the total financial impact of a void period on a rental property. It adds up the rent you do not receive while the property is empty and the costs you continue to pay, including mortgage, insurance, council tax, and any other ongoing expenses. The results show lost rent and ongoing costs as separate figures, and as a combined total.
How to use this tool
- Enter your monthly rent and the void period length. You can enter this in weeks or months.
- Enter the monthly costs you continue to pay while the property is empty: mortgage payment, buildings insurance, council tax, letting agent fee during the void, and utility standing charges.
- Optionally, enter the property value to see how this void affects your gross yield for the year.
- Your total void cost and yield impact will appear below.
Understanding your results
Lost rent is the income you do not receive during the void. Ongoing costs are the expenses that continue regardless of whether the property is occupied. The total financial impact is the sum of both. Showing them separately is useful because the ongoing costs are fixed outgoings you cannot reduce by re-letting faster, whereas lost rent is the direct consequence of the void length.
Council tax is included as an ongoing cost because the landlord is responsible for it while a property is empty. Your local council may grant an exemption on empty properties for up to one month, though this varies. After any exemption period, the full rate applies. Some councils charge a higher rate for properties that remain empty for extended periods. Check your local council’s empty property policy directly.
The yield impact shows the void as a percentage reduction of your annual rental income. A two-month void on a property that would otherwise let for 12 months reduces gross income for that year by 16.7 per cent. Use this figure alongside the Rental Yield Calculator to see the effect on your overall return.
Save this result — create a free account to save your calculation and access it later.
Legal context
Council tax liability transfers to the landlord when a rental property becomes empty. Local councils set their own policies on empty property exemptions and discounts. A Class C exemption applies to properties being actively marketed, but it is typically limited to one month. After the exemption period ends, the landlord is liable at the full council tax rate. Some councils apply a premium rate of up to 200 per cent for properties that have been empty for an extended period. There is no statutory entitlement to a council tax discount during a void period. Source: Local Government Finance Act 1992; Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) Order 1992.
There are no restrictions on how long a property may remain vacant, but landlords who hold a mortgage may have obligations under their mortgage terms regarding empty properties. Check your mortgage conditions if your property is likely to be empty for more than 30 days.