19 Merton Avenue, Northolt, London UB5 4QF
Condition: Terraced house with history of rising damp/mould issues (subject of a local authority Improvement Notice), assessed before remedial works were carried out; bathroom in reasonable but dated condition.
Evidence considered
- Landlord provided asking rents for local comparable properties, but the Tribunal found these lacked detail and were less useful being asking rather than achieved rents
- Tenant provided no comparable rental evidence
- Tribunal relied substantially on its own expert knowledge of local rental values
- Tribunal adjusted its assessed 'modernised' market rent downward to reflect the property's actual condition (damp issues) at the relevant date and outdated bathroom fittings
Tenant submitted evidence: no. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The Tribunal first valued the property as if modernised and in good order at £1,800 pcm, based on its own expert knowledge and the landlord's (limited, asking-rent) comparable evidence. It then deducted £200 for the property's actual condition as at the effective date (prior to remedial works addressing damp identified in a local authority Improvement Notice) and £50 for dated bathroom fittings, arriving at a determined market rent of £1,550 pcm. Tenant-performed repairs and access disputes were held irrelevant to the rent calculation.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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