2 Parsonage Street, Dursley, Gloucestershire, GL11 4EA
Condition: Spacious but dated maisonette with worn decoration, dated kitchen and bathroom fittings, and evidence of damp, mould and minor disrepair.
Evidence considered
- Landlord's agent provided asking rents for other 4- and 5-bedroom houses, not close comparables
- Tenants provided comparable asking rents of £1,250-£1,495 and a Schedule of Condition showing poor decorative state at start of tenancy
- Tenants submitted an Electrical Installation Condition Report rating the property 'Unsatisfactory' and a list of about 105 defects with photographs
- Tribunal relied substantially on its own valuation expertise due to lack of close comparables
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The Tribunal found no close comparable evidence from either party, so it relied on its own expertise, starting from a notional full market rent of £2,000 pcm for the property in good order with parking, storage, carpets and white goods. It then deducted £600 pcm in total for lack of white goods and carpets, dated kitchen and bathroom, and general disrepair and poor decoration, while also factoring in poor internal access and town-centre noise/anti-social behaviour. It rejected the tenants' argument that safety concerns made the property unlettable, accepting the landlord's evidence that valid safety certificates existed, and treated tenant-carried-out works as repairs rather than improvements warranting no adjustment.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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