4 Windermere Drive, Bury, BL9 9QQ
Condition: Older semi-detached house with uPVC double glazing and gas central heating, substantially improved by the tenant over many years after previously being in severe disrepair.
Evidence considered
- Landlord's Savills red book valuation report (31 Dec 2025) valuing portfolio and a specific valuation (12 Mar 2026) of the property at £850 pcm
- Savills comparables: unrefurbished 3-bed properties in the locality let at £868-£880 pcm
- Savills comparables: refurbished 3-bed properties let at £1,105-£1,275 pcm, plus second-hand evidence of £1,000-£1,385 pcm
- Tenant's reference to council property rents (£455 pcm) rejected as not open-market evidence
- Tribunal's own expert knowledge of local rental values applied alongside comparables
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal used Landlord-supplied comparables (Savills report) of local 3-bed houses, distinguishing refurbished (£1,105-£1,275 pcm) from unrefurbished (£868-£880 pcm) properties, plus its own expert knowledge, to set a base market rent of £1,150 pcm (£530.77 per fortnight) for the property modernised and in good order. It rejected council-tenancy rents as not open-market evidence and made no uplift for landlord investment since most works were repairs it was obliged to carry out under s.11 LTA 1985. It then deducted amounts for absence of furnishings/white goods and for tenant-funded improvements, producing a final fortnightly rent of £366.77 (equivalent to about £795 pcm), up from the previous £346.77 per fortnight but below the landlord's proposed £381.23 per fortnight.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
Want the evidence, not just the decision?
Around half of the decisions in this database cite a problem with the evidence submitted — comparable tribunal outcomes are usually what decides these cases, for both sides. We're testing a paid evidence pack and a guided walkthrough of the application, built from this database.
Landlord evidence pack — from £15
Nearby tribunal outcomes, a rent level likely to survive a challenge, and an evidence pack in the format the tribunal expects — timed for when you serve a section 13 notice.
Register interest in the landlord packTenant pack — from £19
Whether challenging your rent increase is worth it, plus the comparable decisions to include with your MR1 application to the tribunal.
Register interest in the tenant packNot built yet — register your interest by email and we'll let you know when it's ready. This isn't legal advice; see the law and free advice options.