Check the homes behind your rent estimate
A rent estimate gives you a starting point. Before using it in your plans, check what each nearby advert actually represents.
Fictional worked example. Every property, price and detail below is invented. The £1,250 estimate is a teaching assumption, not a Bellsoph result, a current market observation or an accuracy test.
Imagine an unfurnished two-bedroom flat in England, approximately 65 square metres, in good condition, with bills excluded. Your starting estimate is £1,250 per month. You find the five adverts below on the same day in the same neighbourhood. For this illustration, A and B have similar condition, furnishing and features to your flat.
| Advert | Quoted asking rent | Property and comparison decision |
|---|---|---|
| A | £275 per week | Two-bedroom flat, 64 square metres, bills excluded. Keep after converting to a monthly equivalent. |
| B | £1,275 per month | Two-bedroom flat, 67 square metres, bills excluded. Keep. |
| C | £1,275 per month | The exact same flat as B on another website. Count the home once. |
| D | £1,450 per month | Three-bedroom flat, 82 square metres. Exclude from this close-match comparison. |
| E | £1,325 per month | Two-bedroom flat with bills included. Hold aside until the included costs and other details are clear. |
Put the prices on the same basis
For a simple 52-week comparison, £275 × 52 ÷ 12 = £1,191.67 per month, or about £1,192. Multiplying by four would give £1,100, which is four weeks of rent. This example assumes no rent-free weeks. The same 52 ÷ 12 conversion appears in GOV.UK’s rent calculation guidance; use the actual tenancy terms for payment obligations.
Write down the conclusion you can support
Two distinct, closely matched adverts remain, asking about £1,192 and £1,275 per month. The fictional £1,250 estimate sits between them. That is a limited cross-check: it does not show what either home actually let for, prove the estimate is accurate or establish the rent your flat will achieve.
Asking prices require caution because they can differ from final agreed prices. RICS’s comparable-evidence standard, section 4.1.4, explains this distinction.
Keep £1,250 labelled as an unconfirmed planning assumption. Before choosing an advertised rent, look for more recent close matches, resolve the bills-inclusive advert and ask a local letting professional what evidence supports their view. Record any verified agreed rents separately.
Start your own rent research with Bellsoph, then keep an evidence note using the fields below.
Evidence note to copy
Use one entry per distinct home. Retain the reasons for excluding an advert so the comparison can be reviewed later.
- Your property: type, bedrooms, approximate floor area, condition, furnishing, bills and relevant features.
- Estimate: amount, date, details entered and source; label it as an estimate.
- Each comparable: listing URL, date checked, listing date if available, property identity, quoted asking rent and payment period.
- Comparison decision: keep, exclude or hold; reason; bills or incentives; duplicate of which entry; unresolved differences.
- Separate evidence: any verified agreed rent, who confirmed it and when. Keep rent received separate from estimates and asking rents.
- Conclusion: usable sample, asking-rent range, remaining questions and next check.
Completed fictional conclusion: Five adverts reviewed; four distinct homes; two close matches retained; one larger home excluded; one bills-inclusive home held. Retained asking rents: approximately £1,192–£1,275 per month. £1,250 remains an unconfirmed assumption. No agreed-rent or rent-received evidence.
Scope
This material concerns rent research for a new letting. An existing assured periodic tenancy in England has a separate rent-increase process.
Source notes
Official sources checked 12 October 2026. RICS’s current-edition page still directs readers to the first edition, reissued April 2023. Section 4.1.4 supports the asking-price caution; section 5 supports recording evidence and selection reasons. The fictional exercise is original educational content and does not imply RICS endorsement or a formal valuation.
GOV.UK supports the illustrated weekly-to-monthly convention and the separate existing-tenancy process. The public Bellsoph tool page states England coverage. The fictional numbers provide no evidence of the tool’s performance.