23 Bittern House Worsdell Dr Gateshead NE8 2FB
Condition: Part furnished duplex apartment in reasonable order, no known disrepair, with no evidence of tenant improvements.
Evidence considered
- Landlord provided floor plans and photographs showing the property is a 3-bedroom duplex apartment
- Landlord submitted Rightmove comparables including a 2-bed in the same building at £1,600pcm, a 2-bed elsewhere at £1,500pcm, and ten others mostly 2-bed at £1,400-£1,500pcm asking rents
- Tenant asserted the property was effectively a 2-bed plus study and cited a 2-bed in the same building advertised at £1,200pcm, but provided no detailed particulars, limiting its weight
- Tribunal relied on its own knowledge and expertise of local market rents alongside the parties' evidence
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal found the property was in fact a 3-bedroom duplex apartment (one bedroom being three-quarter sized but larger than typical second bedrooms in the block), rejecting the tenant's characterisation as a 2-bedroom plus study. Weighing the landlord's more detailed comparable evidence (floor plans, photographs, and multiple Rightmove listings for similar 2-bedroom flats at £1,400-£1,600pcm) against the tenant's unsupported assertion, and applying its own market knowledge, the tribunal determined a market rent equal to the landlord's proposed figure of £1,500pcm, taking effect from the date in the landlord's notice as no hardship was claimed.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
Want the evidence, not just the decision?
Around half of the decisions in this database cite a problem with the evidence submitted — comparable tribunal outcomes are usually what decides these cases, for both sides. We're testing a paid evidence pack and a guided walkthrough of the application, built from this database.
Landlord evidence pack — from £15
Nearby tribunal outcomes, a rent level likely to survive a challenge, and an evidence pack in the format the tribunal expects — timed for when you serve a section 13 notice.
Register interest in the landlord packTenant pack — from £19
Whether challenging your rent increase is worth it, plus the comparable decisions to include with your MR1 application to the tribunal.
Register interest in the tenant packNot built yet — register your interest by email and we'll let you know when it's ready. This isn't legal advice; see the law and free advice options.