What is buy-to-let ROI?
Buy-to-let return on investment (cash-on-cash return) is the annual cash profit from a rental property as a percentage of the cash you actually put in — your deposit, stamp duty, legal fees, and refurb costs. Unlike yield, ROI accounts for leverage: a mortgaged property with 25% down can generate a much higher ROI than the gross yield suggests, because you're earning returns on the bank's money too.