16 St James Court, Heysham, Morecambe LA3 2BQ
Condition: Ground floor flat in a modern three-storey development; tenant reported shoddy standard of repairs and undertakes some repairs themselves.
Evidence considered
- Landlord provided comparables for 2-bedroom houses (£795-£950 pcm) and 3-bedroom houses (£975-£1650 pcm) let by their agent, but with no commentary explaining their relevance
- Tribunal found none of the landlord's comparables to be direct comparables to the subject property
- Tenant provided no rental evidence
- Tribunal relied on its own expert general knowledge of rental values in the area to arrive at the market rent
Tenant submitted evidence: no. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The landlord's comparables (2-bed and 3-bed houses) were not considered direct comparables and lacked commentary justifying their relevance. In the absence of persuasive evidence from either party, the tribunal relied on its own expert knowledge of local rental values to determine a market rent of £850 pcm, reflecting the rent expected if the property were modernised and in good order with white goods and curtains provided. No adjustments were made as no evidence supported them, and the tenant's request for a later effective date was refused due to lack of evidence of hardship.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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