26 Totland Close, Manchester, M12 5RY
Condition: Ground floor two-bedroom flat in average/unmodernised condition with worn carpets/fittings, electrical tripping issues, damp and mould, and a draughty front door, with no landlord improvements since tenancy start.
Evidence considered
- Landlord's comparable: a similar 2-bed flat nearby advertised (reduced) at £1,200 pcm, but in better condition, furnished, with bathtub and parking, and unlet at time of determination, suggesting overpricing.
- Tenant's comparable: an adjacent similar flat with dedicated parking let at £795 pcm since January 2025, evidenced by a rent increase notice.
- Tribunal used its own knowledge plus these two comparables to set a baseline mid-point market rent, then deducted for unchallenged condition defects (flooring/fittings, electrical issues, damp, energy inefficiency).
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal took a baseline market rent of £950 pcm, derived from its own expertise and a midpoint between a comparable at £1,200 pcm (better condition, furnished, with parking, but unlet and reduced in price) and a comparable at £795 pcm (similar flat with parking, let since January 2025). It then deducted £100 pcm for unchallenged defects including worn floor coverings/fittings, electrical safety concerns (no EICR), damp/condensation and poor energy efficiency due to a gap under the front door. This produced a determined rent of £850 pcm, effective from the date in the landlord's original notice as the tenant's hardship evidence did not justify a later start date.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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