29 Byron Halls Byron Street, Bradford BD3 0AR
Condition: Second floor converted flat on two levels with some disrepair including a non-working extractor fan, broken bathroom light, broken radiator, water-damaged bath panel, broken intercom, and significant water damage in the communal corridor outside the flat.
Evidence considered
- Landlord's comparable: a one-bedroom flat in the same block (Byron Halls) advertised via an estate agent, found by the tribunal to have been reduced to £500 pcm at the time of hearing - treated as direct comparable evidence
- Another Byron Halls flat with a mezzanine (not identical) advertised at £575 pcm - noted but not directly relied on
- Landlord's comparables in a different postcode (BD1) discounted due to unclear accommodation details and different location
- Tenant's anecdotal evidence of rents paid by other tenants in Byron Halls (ranging £350 for 1-bed, £475-£550 for 2-bed, £600-£650 for 3-bed) discounted as unsupported by documentary evidence
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal found the landlord's section 13 notice valid and set the market rent by reference to a directly comparable one-bedroom flat in the same development (Byron Halls) advertised by an agent at £500 pcm. It deducted £25 for disrepair in the common parts (notably water damage to the corridor outside the flat) and a further £25 for disrepair within the property (non-working extractor fan with no bathroom ventilation and a broken radiator), arriving at £450 pcm. The tenant's comparables were discounted as undocumented hearsay, and the landlord's comparables outside the development were discounted for lack of location/accommodation comparability; personal hardship could not be taken into account.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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