16 Bishop’s Green, St Swithin’s Close, Derby, DE22 3FX
Condition: Part furnished flat in generally fair condition but with damaged bedroom carpet, hallway woodwork damage and insect issues from a past leak, a poor-condition bath, and bathroom ceiling damage partly attributed to condensation.
Evidence considered
- Landlord's comparables: four part-furnished 2-bedroom flats in the same close at £800-£925 pcm
- Landlord's comparable: a fully furnished 2-bedroom flat in the same close at £1,195 pcm
- Tribunal's own knowledge and expertise of local rental values
- Landlord's inventory with photographs showing the property's condition at the start of the tenancy
- Tenant's photographs showing disrepair (bathroom ceiling damage, damaged carpet, hallway woodwork)
Tenant submitted evidence: no. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal assessed the open market rent for the flat in good tenantable condition at £760 pcm, based on comparable lettings of similar flats in the same close and its own expert knowledge of the area. It then deducted £10 pcm to reflect disrepair items (damaged hallway woodwork, bedroom carpet, and bathroom ceiling redecoration needed following a prior leak) and a further 5% (£38 pcm) to reflect the tenant's liability for internal decoration, arriving at a determined rent of £712 pcm.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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