37 Smallthorn Place Woodville Swadlincote Derby De11 7EJ
Condition: Second floor one-bedroom flat; tenant stated no repairs carried out during tenancy and bathroom needed a shower upgrade.
Evidence considered
- Tenant provided letting details and photograph for an identical flat in the same block let at £590 pcm in November 2025.
- Landlord submitted no comparable rental evidence.
- Tribunal relied on its own expert knowledge of local rental values alongside the tenant's comparable evidence.
- A letter referring to a different rent increase date was disregarded as irrelevant to the notice in question.
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: no.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal determined market rent using its own expert knowledge of the local market together with the tenant's comparable evidence of an identical flat in the same block let at £590 pcm, since the landlord provided no comparable evidence. It assessed the market rent for the subject property as if modernised and in good order, arriving at a figure slightly above the comparable to reflect this, rejecting the landlord's higher proposed rent.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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