28 Vaughan Road, Manchester, M21 0YL
Condition: The property has several disrepair issues including a bathroom leak into the kitchen, damp in the bathroom area, a blocked rear drain, defective window seals, plaster damage, and a non-locking garage door.
Evidence considered
- Landlord provided rental estimate letters from 3 local estate agents ranging from £1,450 to £2,000, given limited weight as they were prepared without inspecting the property and lacked supporting comparables.
- Tenant provided no comparable rental evidence, instead raising condition/disrepair issues.
- Tribunal relied on its own expert knowledge of local rental values to set a baseline modernised rent, then applied deductions for condition and disrepair.
Tenant submitted evidence: no. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal rejected the landlord's agent valuations as unreliable since they were prepared without inspection and lacked comparable evidence. Relying on its own expert knowledge, it assessed a modernised market rent of £1,500 pcm for the area, then deducted £150 for the property's unmodernised condition and £200 for specific disrepair issues (damp/mould, water damage, blocked drain, plaster defects), reaching £1,150 pcm. The tenant's claim of undue hardship to delay the rent increase was rejected due to lack of supporting evidence, so the new rent (as determined) took effect from the date in the landlord's notice. Note: the final 'Decision' paragraph states £1,200 pcm, which is inconsistent with the valuation table and summary figure of £1,150 pcm stated at the top of the decision; £1,150 pcm is used as the determined figure per the valuation calculation and headline 'Rent Determined' field.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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