3 Churchill Avenue, Foleshill, Coventry, CV6 5JJ
Condition: Extended three-bedroom terraced house with two living rooms, fitted kitchen, family bathroom and ground floor shower room/wc, central heating, double glazing, and tenant-fitted laminate flooring.
Evidence considered
- Landlord provided a statement of evidence including floor plan, photographs, and details of comparable lettings in the vicinity ranging from £1,000 to £1,300 pcm, which the tribunal found helpful and relevant.
- Tenant referred to awareness of similar properties letting around £850 pcm but provided no specific supporting details, so this was not given weight.
- Tribunal relied substantially on its own expert knowledge of local rental values alongside the landlord's comparables.
Tenant submitted evidence: no. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal found the landlord's section 13 notice validly served and, relying on its own expert knowledge together with the landlord's comparable evidence (£1,000–£1,300 pcm for similar properties), determined a market rent of £1,100 pcm assuming the property was modernised and in good order with white goods and curtains provided. The tenant's unverified claim of comparables at £850 pcm was not given weight as no detail was provided, and the tenant's laminate flooring improvement was not considered to affect rental value. Due to the tenant's Universal Credit status and evidence of financial hardship from a large rent increase, the tribunal deferred the start date of the new rent to the date of its decision rather than the date in the landlord's notice.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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