50 Ryswick Road, Kempston, Bedfordshire, MK42 8SN
Condition: The property is unfurnished (aside from curtains, oven/hob/extractor and carpets) with no modernisation or upgrades carried out, and some evidence of worn carpet in a doorway.
Evidence considered
- Landlord provided two comparable two-bedroom properties on the same road: 42 Ryswick Road (£1,025pcm) and 89 Ryswick Road (£1,125pcm, with rear garden) — given significant weight.
- Landlord's agents cited a Rightmove search of 11 comparable two/three-bedroom terraced/semi-detached properties within 3 miles letting for £1,195-£1,300pcm — considered but not determinative.
- Tenant provided an online market valuation tool estimate of £930pcm — given little weight as methodology was not transparent.
- Tenant's own estimate of £900pcm based on lack of enclosed garden — considered but not adopted.
- No photographic evidence of interior condition of comparable properties was available, so no condition adjustment was made.
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal relied on its own expert knowledge and two landlord comparables on the same road (one with a garden letting at £1,125pcm), without adjusting for condition as no interior photos of comparables were available. It rejected an online valuation tool as unpersuasive and excluded the tenant's optional 'no deposit' membership fee from the rent calculation since it was optional and could be avoided by paying a deposit. The market rent for the property in reasonable, modernised condition was set at £1,000pcm, with the effective date deferred to the decision date due to evidence of the tenant's financial hardship.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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