192 Dibdin House, Maida Vale, London W9 1QQ
Condition: Second-floor purpose-built flat in generally good condition but with signs of damp in bedrooms, a tenant-altered kitchen and bathroom, and lacking flooring, curtains and white goods.
Evidence considered
- Tenant-submitted comparable: a flat in the same block of flats, advertised at £1,777 pcm - given significant weight
- Tenant-submitted comparable: a converted flat on Priory Park Road, Kilburn - considered less suitable due to different location and property type
- Tenant-submitted extract of a prior FTT decision for another flat in the same block, set at £1,072.50 pcm
- Landlord's unevidenced assertions that nearby W9/NW6 properties let for about £2,500 pcm and that similar landlord-owned properties let at £2,050 pcm - given no weight due to lack of supporting evidence
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: no.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal first found a market rent of £1,950 pcm for the subject property if in good condition, relying heavily on a comparable let in the same block of flats put forward by the tenant. It then applied downward adjustments (totalling 29%) for tenant-installed kitchen and bathroom, damp issues, absence of flooring/curtains and white goods, and the tenant's decoration liability, producing a final figure of £1,384.50 pcm. The landlord's assertions of higher market rents in the wider area were given no weight as no supporting evidence was submitted.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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