16 Mallard Way, Scawby Brook, Brigg, DN32 9FP
Condition: An unmodernised, dated two-storey end-terrace house with several disrepair issues including a broken front door, rising kitchen floor, loose downstairs toilet, rusting towel rail, and an unsafe temporary garden fence fix.
Evidence considered
- Landlord submitted an email from a letting agent estimating £650 pcm if the property were in good condition, but the Tribunal held this was not a genuine comparable of achieved market rents.
- Landlord cited verbal advice from another agent suggesting an expected market rent of £650 pcm, given no weight as it was not evidenced.
- Tenant provided no comparable rental evidence.
- Tribunal relied on its own expert/general knowledge of local rental values in the absence of comparables.
Tenant submitted evidence: no. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
Neither party produced comparable rental evidence, so the Tribunal relied on its own expert knowledge of local rental values to set a starting market rent of £650 pcm for the property in a modernised, good condition. It then deducted a total of £60 pcm to reflect the property's unmodernised and dated condition, outstanding disrepair issues (broken front door mechanism, rising kitchen floor, loose toilet, unsafe temporary garden fence, rusting towel rail, coming-away splashbacks), and restricted use of the garage due to the landlord's stored belongings, producing a determined market rent of £590 pcm. The Tribunal also found that taking effect from the date in the landlord's notice would cause undue hardship to the tenant, a pensioner on a low income, so it deferred the start date to the date of its determination.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
Want the evidence, not just the decision?
Around half of the decisions in this database cite a problem with the evidence submitted — comparable tribunal outcomes are usually what decides these cases, for both sides. We're testing a paid evidence pack and a guided walkthrough of the application, built from this database.
Landlord evidence pack — from £15
Nearby tribunal outcomes, a rent level likely to survive a challenge, and an evidence pack in the format the tribunal expects — timed for when you serve a section 13 notice.
Register interest in the landlord packTenant pack — from £19
Whether challenging your rent increase is worth it, plus the comparable decisions to include with your MR1 application to the tribunal.
Register interest in the tenant packNot built yet — register your interest by email and we'll let you know when it's ready. This isn't legal advice; see the law and free advice options.