247 Pitsmoor Road, Sheffield, S3 9AQ
Evidence considered
- Respondent's N260 costs statement dated 20 October 2025 totalling £3,835.20 for the adjourned hearing of 29 September 2025, assessed as reasonable in rates and time
- Respondent's further N260 costs statement dated 13 January 2026 totalling £9,738.20 for the remainder of proceedings, rejected as a basis for a wider costs order
- Transcript of the 29 September 2025 hearing relied on by the respondent to show alleged false statements, objected to by the applicant and not determinative of the wider costs application
- Email from solicitors confirming instruction only on 30 September 2025 (after the hearing)
Tenant submitted evidence: unknown. Landlord submitted evidence: unknown.
Tribunal's reasoning
This is not a market-rent determination but a costs decision arising from an appeal against housing-related financial penalties. The Tribunal had previously ordered the second applicant to pay 50% of the respondent's wasted costs of an adjourned hearing (29 September 2025) under Rule 13(1)(a), having found his conduct at that hearing unreasonable. The respondent sought to extend the costs order to cover its entire costs of the proceedings (c.£11,655.80), alleging unreasonable conduct throughout (failure to plead grounds of appeal, non-engagement, camera issues, and allegedly false statements about instructing solicitors). Applying the three-stage Willow Court test, the Tribunal found the threshold of unreasonable conduct was not met for the whole case: the applicant, a litigant in person for most of the proceedings, was entitled to appeal and his shortcomings were attributable to incompetence/self-representation rather than unreasonableness. The Tribunal therefore declined to extend costs beyond the sum already assessed and fixed the earlier order at £1,417.60 (50% of the £3,835.20 itemised costs for the 29 September 2025 hearing), finding the hourly rates and time claimed reasonable.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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