35 Clewer Crescent, Harrow, HA3 5QA
Condition: A two-storey semi-detached house with central heating and double glazing, but with a poor-quality utility door/window, significant mould and a substandard window in the bathroom, and a kitchen needing work before re-letting.
Evidence considered
- Landlord submitted six achieved lettings of three-bedroom houses in the area ranging from £2,000 to £2,400 pcm
- Landlord submitted three properties currently marketed at £2,300-£2,375 pcm
- Landlord noted two properties the tenants had themselves offered on (£2,400 and £2,450 pcm), which let at those levels, used to support a higher market value
- Tenant did not submit specific comparable evidence but asserted a lower figure based on general market decline and property condition
Tenant submitted evidence: no. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal inspected the property and found defects including a poor-quality utility room door/window, a bathroom in poor condition with significant mould and a substandard window, and a kitchen requiring work before re-letting, while rejecting other tenant complaints (e.g. bedroom mould, non-use of upstairs rooms) as not significant. Using the landlord's comparable lettings/marketing evidence and its own expert knowledge, the tribunal found the property's open market rent in good condition would be around £2,350 pcm, then made a downward adjustment for the identified disrepair to reach the determined figure of £2,000 pcm, effective from the date specified in the original notice.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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