14 Northgate Harborne Birmingham B17 9EP
Condition: Dated, single-glazed terraced house with poor insulation, some disrepair (leaking windows, rotten window ledge, old kitchen), though tenant has carried out various improvements at their own expense.
Evidence considered
- Landlord cited two comparable 3-bed terraced houses in the same street/area let at £404 per week, but these were noted to be modernised/extended with larger kitchens, limiting direct comparability.
- Tenant submitted photographic evidence of disrepair (leaking windows, rotten window ledge, faulty gas pipe work, worn kitchen) and evidence of tenant-funded improvements (new kitchen ~£8,000, flooring, wardrobes, radiator, fencing).
- Tribunal relied on its own general knowledge/expertise of local rental values to set the modernised baseline rent before adjustments.
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal started from a modernised market rent of £350 per week for a comparable terraced house in good condition, then deducted £120 per week to reflect the tenant's own improvements and the property's dated condition (single glazing, no cavity wall insulation, worn kitchen, external disrepair). This produced a determined rent of £230 per week, which happened to equal the existing rent, so no increase resulted. Given the tenant's hardship application, the tribunal set the new rent's effective date as the date of its decision rather than the earlier date in the landlord's notice.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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