Break-Even Occupancy
Break-even occupancy is the occupancy level required for property income to cover operating expenses and debt service.
Why it matters
break-even occupancy changes what a disciplined buyer can pay, how much debt the asset can safely carry, and whether the return is coming from operations or fragile assumptions.
Formula
Break-even occupancy = (operating expenses + debt service) / gross potential income.Worked example
In underwriting, tag break-even occupancy beside the exact source input and rerun the model when that input changes. The point is not a pretty metric; it is a better buy, hold, refinance, or walk decision.
How investors read it
Use it to kill bad deals quickly. If the back-of-envelope version does not survive conservative assumptions, do not spend five hours making it look alive.
Common mistakes
- · Treating the metric as a verdict instead of a screen.
- · Using broker-package assumptions without checking the source documents.
- · Ignoring taxes, capex, vacancy, financing terms, and timing.
Use current local data and source documents. Realist should show assumptions and date-stamp market inputs because stale inputs create fake precision.