Which flat on your shortlist is actually the best value?
Rent alone is a bad way to compare flats. This tool weighs what you pay per square metre, the commute you will do every working day, and how good the transport really is, then scores each flat against the others. Add up to six.
Best value on your shortlist
Flat 1
Scores 85 out of 100. What drove it: the best rent per square metre of the group, at £32.76 per m².
Side by side
| Flat | Rent | £/m² | Commute | Transport | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat 1Best value | £1,900 | £32.76 | 35 min | 7/10 | 85 |
| Flat 2 | £1,750 | £35.00 | 50 min | 5/10 | 15 |
Weighting: rent per m² 40%, commute 30%, rent 15%, transport 15%. Scores are relative to this list only, so adding or removing a flat changes everyone's numbers.
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Common questions
What is a good price per square metre?
There is no single good number: rent per square metre varies enormously between zones, between postcodes in the same zone, and with the condition of the building. The metric earns its keep comparatively. Work it out for every flat on your shortlist and the outliers show themselves at once: a flat charging noticeably more per square metre than similar ones nearby needs to justify that with something concrete, like location, condition or outdoor space.
Why does commute time belong in rent maths?
Because you pay it every working day. An extra 20 minutes each way is roughly 160 hours a year for someone in the office five days a week, which is four working weeks of your life. Add the fare difference: travelling from Zone 4 rather than Zone 2 costs hundreds of pounds more a year on a travelcard. A flat that looks £150 a month cheaper can quietly give most of that back in time and fares.
How do I find a flat's real floor area?
Look up the EPC on the government register at gov.uk, which is free and searchable by postcode. The certificate states the total floor area in square metres, measured for the assessment rather than for marketing. Listings often omit floor area entirely, and wide-angle photography is very good at making 45 square metres look like 60, so check the number before a viewing rather than after.
How is the score worked out?
Each flat is scored 0 to 100 against the others on your list. Rent per square metre carries 40% of the weight, commute time 30%, absolute rent 15% and transport quality 15%. Each metric is scaled between the best and worst values in your list, so the score is purely comparative: it tells you which of these flats is the strongest value, not whether any of them is a good deal in absolute terms.
What should I check at a viewing?
Beyond the obvious: run the taps to test water pressure, check your phone signal in every room, look for the sheen or smell of treated damp, ask which way the windows face, and visit the street at a different time of day to hear it honestly. Ask for the council tax band and the EPC before you go, since both change the real monthly cost and neither is negotiable later.