318 Balmoral Drive, Hayes, Middlesex, UB4 8DH - Ref
Condition: A 1930s semi-detached house with dated kitchen and bathroom fittings, original single-glazed bathroom window, and an aged boiler; overall described as tired but functional.
Evidence considered
- Tenant submitted a bundle of comparable properties in the vicinity (including white goods) ranging from £1550 to £2000 pcm, used to argue for a lower starting rent.
- Tenant cited a fair rent case (Denbigh Street) seeking a large condition-based deduction; the tribunal gave this no weight as it concerned a fair rent determination in a different part of London, not assured tenancy market rent.
- Landlord obtained opinions of value from four letting agents ranging between £2000 and £2500 pcm, supporting a market rent assessment.
- Tribunal relied on its own expertise and the comparable evidence to set a baseline rent of £2100 pcm for the property in good contemporary letting condition, then applied a 20% deduction for condition and tenant-provided items/repairing obligations.
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal found the property to be a tired but functional 1930s semi-detached house with dated fittings and some tenant-installed items (white goods, some carpets/curtains, a shed and a UPVC door/window). It assessed a baseline market rent of £2100 pcm for the property in good contemporary letting condition based on agent comparables and its own expertise, rejecting the tenant's reliance on a fair rent comparable as irrelevant to an assured tenancy market rent determination. A 20% deduction (£420) was applied to reflect the tenant's provision of white goods, some carpets/curtains/blinds, the tenant's repairing obligations, and the property's condition, producing a determined rent of £1680 pcm, effective from the date of determination due to an uncontested undue hardship claim.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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