35 York Street, West Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7BS
Condition: Traditional terrace house refurbished in 2009 (rewiring, replumbing, redecoration, new kitchen/bathroom, central heating), no disrepairs noted, though tenant described condition as only "fair".
Evidence considered
- Landlord provided outline lettings particulars for two comparable terrace houses on the same street: a 3-bedroom at £1,100 pcm and a 2-bedroom at £995 pcm
- Tenant submitted no comparable evidence
- Tribunal also relied on its own expert general knowledge of rental values in the area
- Tribunal adopted the £1,100 pcm comparable as the base for a typical 3-bedroom house on the street before applying deductions
Tenant submitted evidence: no. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal started from a market rent of £1,100 pcm for a typical 3-bedroom house on the same street, based on landlord-submitted comparable lettings and its own general market knowledge, as the tenant provided no comparable evidence. It then applied deductions totalling £180 pcm to reflect the subject property's narrow, four-floor layout with ground-floor bathroom (physical factors, -£50), tenant provision of carpets/curtains (-£50), tenant provision of white goods (-£30), and the tenant's internal decoration obligation (-£50). This produced a determined market rent of £920 pcm (£212 per week), which was set to take effect from the date specified in the landlord's notice as the tenant raised no hardship argument. Figures in the decision were stated weekly (passing rent £164/week, proposed £200/week) and have been converted to pcm (x52/12) for this record.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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