14a Winchmore Hill Road, London N14 6PT
Condition: A converted ground floor flat in reasonably good overall condition but with some damp and mould near the back door and bathroom, past ceiling damp staining, tired kitchen worktops, and a broken pathway and alley door.
Evidence considered
- Tenant provided a Rightmove search of two-bedroom flats in the area marketed between £1,850 and £2,300, mostly around £2,000 (given limited weight as marketed, not let, rents)
- Landlord provided a table of comparable two-bedroom flats in Southgate marketed at £1,900-£2,150, plus one flat marketed and let at £1,750
- Tribunal's own surveyor member identified further comparables based on actual letting rents (£1,850, £1,750, £1,700, £1,575, and £1,250), giving more weight to achieved letting rents than asking prices
- One low comparable (£1,250, marketed at £1,650) was excluded as not comparable
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal began from a starting-point rent of £1,825 pcm, derived from comparable two-bedroom flats in the area (rental lettings being preferred to marketed asking rents, which were found to typically overstate achievable rent). It then reduced this by 10% to reflect disrepair found on inspection (damp and mould near the back door, bathroom and ceiling, tired kitchen worktops, and broken pathway/door) relative to the comparables, arriving at a rounded figure of £1,645 pcm, while rejecting the tenant's characterisation of the property as seriously unhealthy and noting the benefit of a garden and parking space.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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