15 Eastfield Road Duston Northampton NN5 6TG
Condition: Tenant described worn decorative condition and ongoing damp/mould near the kitchen porch; landlord disputed this and cited pre-letting repairs and tenant's lack of garden maintenance.
Evidence considered
- Tenant's Rightmove listings of comparable three- and four-bedroom houses ranging £1,250-£1,325pcm, said to be smaller or lacking second bathroom/loft space
- Landlord's list of three let-agreed comparable three-bedroom terraced properties with two/three bathrooms within a 1-mile radius, rents £1,350-£1,400pcm
- Photographic evidence from landlord regarding guttering/drainage condition and garden/patio maintenance
- No independent inspection or surveyor report on the disrepair was available
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal did not reduce the rent for disrepair as there was no inspection or surveyor evidence to confirm the cause of damp/mould. It weighed the tenant's Rightmove comparables (£1,250-£1,325pcm for smaller properties) against the landlord's let-agreed comparables (£1,350-£1,400pcm for similar three-bedroom terraced houses with two bathrooms), giving weight to the subject property's additional second bathroom and loft storage. Using its own expertise and the comparables, the tribunal set the market rent at £1,350pcm, between the proposed £1,400 and the existing £1,300.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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