207 Runcorn Rd., Balsall Heath, Birmingham, B12 8QY
Condition: Ground floor maisonette in a 1990s-built three storey brick and tile block, not inspected internally but assumed modernised and in good order for valuation purposes.
Evidence considered
- No comparable evidence was submitted by either party.
- Tribunal relied on its own expert general knowledge of local rental values rather than specific comparables.
- Tribunal treated the landlord's fixed service charge as part of a global inclusive rent, comparable to private market rents that bundle such costs.
Tenant submitted evidence: no. Landlord submitted evidence: no.
Tribunal's reasoning
The landlord proposed increasing the weekly rent from £123.41 to £152.32 (inclusive of a reduced fixed service charge of £40.71), and the tenant referred the notice to the Tribunal. With no comparable evidence from either party, the Tribunal used its own knowledge of local rental values, treating the service charge as effectively part of a global market rent since it covered costs normally borne by private landlords rather than unusual extras like personal care. It determined a market rent of £140 pw (£606.67 pcm), including the service charge, finding no evidence of undue hardship since the rent was funded via disability benefits. Figures converted from weekly to monthly by multiplying by 52 and dividing by 12.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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