24 Chelsworth Avenue, Great Cornard, Sudbury, CO10 0LS
Condition: The property required full redecoration, carpet replacement and a kitchen refit, and had been subject to a since-revoked Improvement Notice for electrical, damp, window and conservatory hazards.
Evidence considered
- Landlord submitted four local 3-bed comparables (£1,200-£1,285 pcm) but these were asking rents, some with garages, given limited weight
- Tribunal discounted comparables due to lack of garage and poor condition/need for refurbishment at the subject property
- Tenant's repair complaints and landlord's cost/personal circumstance arguments were noted but held legally irrelevant to market rent
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal assessed the market rent for an end-terrace 3-bed house requiring significant repair and redecoration, subject to a recently revoked Improvement Notice (electrical wiring, damp/mould, window frame, conservatory disrepair). The landlord provided four local comparables (£1,200-£1,285 pcm) but these were asking (not achieved) rents for properties with garages and better condition, so the tribunal applied a discount for lack of garage and poor condition/decoration. Personal circumstances of landlord and tenant, and cost-recovery arguments, were disregarded as irrelevant to market rent. The tribunal used its own expertise to determine a market rent of £1,000 pcm, effective from the date specified in the landlord's notice.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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