26 Chalkdell House, 42 Loweswater Close, Watford, WD25 0TA
Condition: Second-floor flat with dated kitchen/bathroom fittings, fair decoration, sloping eaves ceilings reducing usable space, and minor repair issues including scraping doors and historic leak staining.
Evidence considered
- Tenant submitted a list of comparable asking rents adjusted with statistical weighting to suggest £972 pcm
- Landlord's agent submitted comparable asking rents for one-bedroom flats ranging from £1,200 to £1,350 pcm
- Tribunal noted both parties relied on asking rents rather than achieved rents, and placed greater weight on its own knowledge of local rental values
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal determined an open-market rent of £1,200 pcm for the flat in good condition, then deducted £100 pcm for dated kitchen/bathroom fittings, minor repair issues (doors scraping, historic leak staining) and reduced effective floor area from sloping eaves ceilings, arriving at £1,100 pcm. Both parties relied only on asking-rent (not achieved-rent) comparables, which the tribunal noted but weighed against its own market knowledge of Watford rental values.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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