Real Estate / THE MITEY TOOLKIT

Rental Cash Flow & Vacancy

Model operating cash flow, mortgage cost, cash-on-cash return and the occupancy needed to cover costs.

Calculator inputs

SCENARIO INPUTS

Your starting point.

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Purchase and financing

Rental income

Operating costs

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CALCULATED SCENARIO

Monthly cash flow · before income tax

-$493.83

From your inputs. Explore the breakdown below.

Annual net operating income
$23,961.60
Monthly mortgage payment
$2,490.63
Cash-on-cash return
-3.59%
Break-even occupancy
111.77%
Operating cap rate
3.99%
Debt service coverage
0.80×
Method & sources ↓
  • Break-even occupancy exceeds 100%: the entered rent cannot cover these modeled costs even with no vacancy.
  • Cash flow, cap rate and cash-on-cash return answer different questions. None includes a future sale.

Where the monthly rent goes

Where the monthly rent goes
ItemAmount
Rent after vacancy$3,040.00
Other income$0.00
Operating costs and reserves$1,043.20
Net operating income$1,996.80
Mortgage payment$2,490.63
Cash flow before tax-$493.83

Rent sensitivity · same vacancy and expenses

Rent sensitivity · same vacancy and expenses
Gross rent changeMonthly gross rentMonthly cash flow
-10%$2,880.00-$773.51
0%$3,200.00-$493.83
+10%$3,520.00-$214.15
CHANGE ONE VARIABLEWhat moves your answer?

Compare five values while keeping every other input the same. These are scenarios, not likelihoods or forecasts.

Annual fixed mortgage rate · other inputs unchanged
Input valuePrimary resultUse scenario

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BEHIND THE ANSWER

Formula and method

Collected rent = gross rent × (1 − vacancy). NOI = collected rent + other income − operating costs. Cash flow = NOI − debt service. Cash-on-cash = annual cash flow ÷ (down payment + acquisition cash).

Property tax and insurance are entered annually and divided by twelve. Maintenance/capital reserve, condo and other costs are monthly. Management fees vary with collected rent; other entered costs are fixed. Mortgage principal and interest use the entered Canadian fixed-rate assumption. Break-even occupancy solves for collected rent sufficient to pay fixed costs and debt service after the management percentage, with entered other income held constant.

Worked examples

Unlevered zero-cost example

Purchase price:
120000
Down payment:
120000
Closing and renovation cash:
0
Annual fixed mortgage rate:
4.5
Amortization:
25
Gross monthly rent:
1000
Vacancy allowance:
0
Other monthly income after vacancy:
0
Management fee on collected rent:
0
Annual property tax:
0
Annual insurance:
0
Monthly maintenance and capital reserve:
0
Monthly condo fees:
0
Other monthly operating costs:
0

Monthly cash flow · before income tax: $1,000.00

Assumptions and limits

  • Before income tax, depreciation, financing fees, insurance premiums and disposition costs. Enter all cash purchase costs manually.
  • Vacancy is a steady allowance, not a prediction of actual missed rent, defaults or leasing periods.
  • No rent-control, eligibility, mortgage approval or purchase-tax determination.
  • Cash-on-cash is not an IRR, total return or a return on the property’s full value.

This tool provides an educational estimate. Rules, rates and personal circumstances can change the answer. Review the assumptions before relying on a result. Report a correction.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Treating entered return, vacancy or rate assumptions as forecasts.
  • Comparing only the headline amount without checking timing, cash costs and model limits.

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