Methodology
No black box.
Property Scout ranks every UK postcode district by an Investment Score from 0 to 100. Here is exactly what we measure, what we don't, and how often it refreshes.
What the score measures
We focus on the five fundamentals that determine long-run investment outcomes for residential buy-to-let in the UK:
- Yield — gross rental yield from PropertyData rental estimates and Land Registry prices.
- Capital growth — 5-year annualised price change, Land Registry Price Paid Data.
- Rental demand — vacancy and demand indicators (PropertyData).
- Affordability — ratio of average price to median household income (ONS).
- Employment — local employment rate (ONS Annual Population Survey).
What the score does NOT measure (yet)
- HMO (House in Multiple Occupation) suitability — coming in a future release.
- EPC stock quality — we hold the data but don't weight it yet.
- Transport accessibility (OSM proximity to stations).
- Regulatory factors such as Article 4 directions or licensing schemes.
- Street-level variation within a postcode district.
We chose to ship a smaller, defensible model rather than a wider one we couldn't justify. The sub-scores above are all derived from public datasets or PropertyData — no proprietary algorithms.
Refresh cadence
- Land Registry Price Paid Data — monthly bulk file, aggregated to district.
- ONS demographics — quarterly.
- PropertyData rental and comparable evidence — refreshed per area, cached 30 days.
- Investment Scores — recomputed whenever underlying data changes.
Honest limitations
Postcode districts are big. Two streets in M14 can be very different. Use the score as a shortlisting tool, not a final answer. Always do property-level due diligence before buying. Past performance is not a guide to future returns.
See more: How scores are calculated · Data sources · Disclaimer