1 Garden House Cottages, Plaw Hatch Lane, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 4JL
Condition: Dated semi-detached rural cottage with poor insulation, old storage heaters, damp issues, ageing windows with failed seals, and an EPC rating of E.
Evidence considered
- Landlord claimed comparator rural/semi-rural properties let at £1,400-£1,800 pcm, but did not actually submit the supporting details, so the tribunal gave it no weight.
- Tenant submitted photographs showing poor maintenance (guttering, soffits, window seal) which the tribunal accepted as evidence of condition.
- Tribunal relied on its own expert knowledge of local rental values to set a baseline 'modernised' rent before applying condition-based deductions.
- Publicly available EPC rating (category E) was noted and factored into the condition assessment.
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: no.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal used its own expert knowledge to assess a notional market rent of £1,650 pcm for the property if modernised and in good condition, then deducted £200 for aged heating appliances/poor insulation and £150 for the overall state of repair, arriving at £1,300 pcm. The landlord's claimed comparator evidence (£1,400-£1,800 for similar rural properties) was not actually provided to the tribunal and so was given no weight. The tenant's claim of undue hardship to delay the rent increase was rejected due to lack of supporting evidence, so the new rent took effect from the date in the landlord's notice.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
Want the evidence, not just the decision?
Around half of the decisions in this database cite a problem with the evidence submitted — comparable tribunal outcomes are usually what decides these cases, for both sides. We're testing a paid evidence pack and a guided walkthrough of the application, built from this database.
Landlord evidence pack — from £15
Nearby tribunal outcomes, a rent level likely to survive a challenge, and an evidence pack in the format the tribunal expects — timed for when you serve a section 13 notice.
Register interest in the landlord packTenant pack — from £19
Whether challenging your rent increase is worth it, plus the comparable decisions to include with your MR1 application to the tribunal.
Register interest in the tenant packNot built yet — register your interest by email and we'll let you know when it's ready. This isn't legal advice; see the law and free advice options.