43 Hamilton House, Lonsdale, Wolverton, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK12 5FL
Condition: The flat itself had no significant defects and remained fully habitable, but the block's communal lift was unreliable in the months before the valuation date.
Evidence considered
- Tribunal's own prior conclusion on local market rents at the valuation date, found to be lower than the landlord's proposed figure
- Evidence of persistent lift unreliability in the three months before the valuation date used to justify a rental discount for a 4th-floor flat
- No property inspection was carried out
Tenant submitted evidence: unknown. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
This is a review/permission-to-appeal decision following an earlier market rent determination (18 March 2026, corrected 8 May 2026) for a 4th-floor flat. The landlord sought review arguing a £120 deduction for communal lift unreliability was disproportionate and market rent evidence for comparable 4th-floor flats was not properly considered. The Tribunal refused both the review and permission to appeal, finding the discount was properly assessed: although the flat itself had no significant defects and remained habitable, persistent lift unreliability in the three months before the valuation date would deter most prospective tenants of a 4th-floor flat, justifying a rental discount, which the Tribunal had quantified. No new rent figure was determined in this decision; it concerns only the review/appeal application.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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