10 Rathmell Court, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS15 0RB
Condition: Property considered to be in overall good condition, no adjustments warranted.
Evidence considered
- Tenant provided four comparables at Rathmell Court ranging from £900 to £1,000 pcm, used as the primary evidence.
- Tenant also submitted a web search for LS15 postcode showing rents of £520-£1,000 for one- and two-bedroom properties, but this was given less weight due to wider geographic and property type spread.
- Tribunal noted a rent of £995 pcm had been agreed between the parties less than a year earlier.
- Landlord submitted no comparable evidence.
- Tribunal relied on its own expert knowledge of local rental values alongside the tenant's comparables.
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: no.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal first rejected the tenant's argument that the landlord's section 13 notice was invalid due to an out-of-date form reference, finding this a clerical slip under the Mannai principle that caused no real confusion. On valuation, the tribunal considered the tenant's comparable evidence from the same block (Rathmell Court, ranging £900-£1,000 pcm), gave less weight to a broader LS15 web search due to its wider geographic and property-type spread, and noted the current rent of £995 had only recently been agreed. Combining this evidence with its own expert knowledge of the local market, and finding the property in good condition requiring no adjustment, the tribunal determined the market rent at £995 pcm, unchanged from the existing rent.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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