Why Buy-to-Let Investors Are Losing Deals (And How to Fix It)

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Posted on 13 February 2026

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You've found a property that looks like a solid rental investment. The price is right, the area has demand, and you're ready to move. Then the EPC comes back at an F. The council has an Article 4 Direction blocking HMO conversions. And there's a flood alert you didn't know about.

Three months wasted. Sound familiar?

The Real Problem With Property Sourcing

Most BTL investors still find deals the old-fashioned way — trawling Rightmove, driving around target areas, or waiting for agents to call. When something promising turns up, the due diligence starts: check the EPC register, look up planning constraints, search for flood risk data, review council licensing rules.

That's five or six different websites, each with its own interface, each giving you one piece of the puzzle. By the time you've done the research, someone faster has already made an offer.

What If the Research Was Already Done?

LandAttic aggregates over 15,000 empty properties across the UK onto a single interactive map — and attaches the data that actually matters to each one.

EPC ratings are right there on the property page. No more switching to the EPC register. You can see the current rating, CO2 emissions, building fabric details, and heating type before you even pick up the phone. With minimum EPC E requirements for rental properties, knowing this upfront prevents costly mistakes.

Planning constraints are checked automatically. Conservation Areas, Listed Building status, Article 4 Directions, Tree Preservation Orders, and nearby planning applications — all pulled from planning.data.gov.uk and displayed in one view. If an Article 4 Direction blocks your HMO conversion plan, you'll know in seconds, not weeks.

Flood risk is mapped in real time. LandAttic pulls live flood alerts from the Environment Agency — 228 active warnings at last count — and overlays them directly on the map. Rivers, surface water, and active warnings, all visible before you commit.

A Smarter Acquisition Pipeline

Set up daily email alerts for your target areas and property types. New empty properties land in your inbox every morning. Shortlist the ones that pass your criteria. Check EPC, planning, and flood data without leaving the platform.

The investors who move fastest on below-market-value opportunities are the ones who don't waste time on properties that were never viable in the first place.

The Numbers

LandAttic Essential+ costs £30/month. One avoided bad purchase saves you thousands in surveys, legal fees, and holding costs. One successful acquisition found before the competition pays for decades of subscription.

Every empty property. Every EPC rating. Every planning constraint. One platform.

Start your 7-day free trial at landattic.com

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