48a Meadow Road, Barking, Essex, IG11 9QS
Condition: Property found to be in a state of disrepair, including broken/sharp kitchen floor tiles, damaged window mastic, roof disrepair, worn carpets and some mould, which the landlord had not attended to.
Evidence considered
- Landlord proposed £1850 pcm but submitted no comparable rental evidence.
- Tenant relied on a general housing website calculation suggesting a 3-bedroom property in the area would be £1370-£1450 pcm, and argued nearby social housing rents were lower (though tribunal noted social rents are not directly comparable).
- Tribunal relied on its own expert/general knowledge of local rental values, finding a modernised, good-condition market rent of £1850 pcm, then applied a 17.5% deduction (£323.75) for disrepair to reach the determined rent.
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: no.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal used its own expert knowledge of local rental values to assess the property's market rent if modernised and in good order at £1850 pcm, broadly endorsing the landlord's proposed figure as the baseline. It then deducted 17.5% (£323.75) to reflect disrepair found in the property (damaged window mastic, roof issues, worn carpets, broken kitchen/bathroom tiles, some mould) that the landlord had not addressed, arriving at a determined rent of £1526.25 pcm. A claim of undue hardship by the tenants to delay the rent's effective date was rejected due to lack of supporting financial evidence.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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