Comparison
Best refurb cost estimator in the UK: what software can price
Here is the honest state of it: most UK deal analysis software does not estimate refurb costs at all. The refurb field in nearly every calculator is a box you fill in yourself, from a builder's quote, a rule of thumb or a guess. Of the tools compared on this page, only two describe estimating it for you, PropAI and PropDetect, and since one of those is ours, weigh this page accordingly.
We make PropDetect. Every fact below about the other tools comes from their own public pages, with the check dates under the table, and the second half of this page is as much about what photo-based estimates cannot see as what they can, because a refurb estimate that hides its limits is worse than an empty input box.
| Tool | From (per month) | How it handles the refurb number |
|---|---|---|
| PropertyData | £14 ex VAT | Market analytics, valuations, comparables and a Deal Analyzer for buy-to-let assessments; the refurb figure is yours to supply |
| Lendlord | Free tier; Premium £12 | Deal and flip analysers alongside portfolio, tenant and finance management; the refurb cost is an input |
| Dealsourcr | £79.99 ex VAT, billed yearly | Calculators and an AI Deal Analyser, capped at 5 analyses a month on the Pro plan |
| Property Filter | £100 ex VAT (£80 annual) | A coaching membership: assessment, refurb included, is the member's job, done with their training |
| DealFlow AI | Credit packs from £9 | A fast yield and cash flow verdict; it does not attempt refurb costing and does not claim to |
| PropAI | £40 | A refurb estimate within its AI appraisal of a property you supply, alongside stress tests and a four-strategy rating |
| PropDetect | £7.99 | Refurb costed room by room from the listing photos, every figure editable |
Prices and features from each vendor's own public pages: propertydata.co.uk/pricing, lendlord.io/uk-plan, dealsourcr.com/pricing (displayed campaign pricing, yearly billing) and prop-ai.tech checked 11 August 2026, dealflow-ai.co.uk checked 4 September 2026, and property-filter.co.uk/pricing checked 18 August 2026, with their site flagging rises due. Rows run with our own tool last. Check their sites before relying on any figure, including ours.
Why the refurb number decides the deal
End value and rent can be evidenced from market data anyone can check. The refurb cannot: there is no listing field for it, no index to look it up in, and it varies with the condition of one specific house. It is also the number your offer price leans on hardest, because every pound of refurb you underestimate comes straight out of your margin. An appraisal that handles the valuation carefully and leaves the refurb as a guess has only done half the job.
The manual-input majority
Most tools handle this honestly by not handling it. PropertyData gives you the market evidence around the deal and leaves the refurb figure to you; Lendlord does the same inside a portfolio manager with a permanently free tier; Property Filter teaches members to assess deals themselves, refurb included, as part of its coaching membership. A manual input is not a flaw if you already know your costs or have a builder who answers the phone, and a quote from someone who has stood in the property beats any estimate, ours included.
DealFlow AI deserves a mention for scope honesty: a fast buy, maybe or avoid screen with yield and cash flow, no attempt at refurb costing, and no pretence of one. Dealsourcr's pages describe calculators and an AI Deal Analyser, capped at 5 analyses a month on its Pro plan.
The two that estimate
PropAI is the other tool here that genuinely attempts the job: an AI appraisal of a property you supply, including a refurb estimate and stress tests, at £40 a month with a 5-day, one-property trial. You bring the deal, since its pages show no sourcing. If you want a second automated opinion on a refurb, it is the natural one to test against ours.
PropDetect prices the refurb room by room from the listing photos: each room is assessed on what the photos show and costed, the rooms roll up to the total, and every figure is editable when you disagree, which sometimes you should. The method, including how rooms are rated and where the contingency comes from, is written up at /methodology/refurb. Entry is £7.99 a month.
What photos cannot price
A photo-based estimate prices what photos show: tired kitchens, dated bathrooms, decoration, flooring, the visible state of the place. It cannot see damp behind furniture, the wiring, the boiler's age, the roof timbers, or anything the photographer chose not to shoot, and listing photographers are paid to flatter. Photos can also be years old.
So treat any software estimate, ours included, as a costed starting point for your offer and your diligence, not a substitute for a builder walking the property before exchange. Ask of any tool whether its number already carries a contingency and what that covers, and if the photos are sparse or oddly cropped, read that as information too.
Frequently asked questions
Is there software that estimates UK refurb costs automatically?
Two of the tools compared here describe it on their own pages: PropAI includes a refurb estimate in its appraisal of a property you supply, and PropDetect costs the refurb room by room from the listing photos. The rest treat the refurb as an input you provide.
How accurate is a refurb estimate from listing photos?
It can only be as good as what the photos show. Visible condition can be priced; hidden condition, such as damp, wiring, structure or plumbing, cannot. Treat it as a costed starting point and confirm with a builder's quote before you exchange.
Why do most deal analysis tools leave refurb as a manual input?
Because estimating it well needs evidence about one specific property's condition, which most tools do not collect. A flat rate per square metre is easy to build and wrong in both directions, so most vendors choose the honest input box instead, and that is a defensible choice.
What does a photo-based refurb estimate not account for?
Anything invisible or unphotographed: damp, structural movement, wiring, plumbing, the roof, the boiler, and rooms the listing skips. It also cannot know your spec or your labour rates unless you tell it, which is why the figures should stay editable.
Judge it on a real deal
The honest way to choose deal analysis software is to run the same property through it. Create a free account, paste any Rightmove listing, and read the verdict PropDetect gives it: refurb costs, comparable valuations, rent, GDV and ROI across six strategies. Your first 3 analyses are on us, no card needed.
More comparisons
- PropDetect vs Searchland
Land and development data against automated residential deal appraisal: genuinely different jobs.
- Best property sourcing software (UK)
The sourcing-oriented tools compared honestly: who each one actually suits.
- Best BRRR analysis tools (UK)
Which tools actually model refinance and money left in, and which leave it to your spreadsheet.
- Best property deal analysis software (UK)
What to look for in a deal analysis tool, and how the main UK options compare.
- PropertyData alternative
PropertyData against PropDetect: market research data against end-to-end deal sourcing.
- Lendlord alternative
Lendlord against PropDetect: portfolio management against finding and analysing the next deal.
- Property Filter alternative
Property Filter against PropDetect: coached deal making with community against automated sourcing and appraisal.
- Property Filter review
An honest, sourced review of Property Filter: features, pricing, Trustpilot score and who the membership fits.
- Property Filter pricing
Every Property Filter tier with the VAT and annual maths done, and how the cost compares to alternatives.
- Property Filter vs PropDetect
The head-to-head: sourcing, off-market, analysis, verdicts, pricing and trials, feature by feature.
- Dealsourcr alternative
Dealsourcr against PropDetect: strategy-search breadth against photo-based refurb costing and finished appraisals.