55 Pennell House, 116 Cockfosters Road, London, EN4 0FT
Condition: Unfurnished second floor apartment with underfloor heating, double glazing, and landlord-provided floor/window coverings and white goods; tenant raised management and disrepair concerns but no material adjustment was made.
Evidence considered
- Tenant provided two Rightmove listings for one-bedroom flats at £1,650 pcm asking rent
- Landlord provided three Rightmove listings for one-bedroom apartments nearby at £1,825, £1,825 and £1,850 pcm asking rent
- Tribunal relied on its own expert knowledge of local rental values alongside both parties' comparables
- Tribunal found no material differences between the subject property and comparables requiring adjustment
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal determined market rent using its own expert knowledge together with comparable evidence from both parties, settling on a figure between the tenant's lower comparables (£1,650 pcm) and the landlord's higher comparables (£1,825-£1,850 pcm). It found no material differences between the subject property and the comparables requiring adjustment, so no deduction was made despite the tenant's complaints about management and noise. The tenant's claim of undue hardship to delay the rent increase was rejected due to lack of supporting evidence, so the new rent took effect on the date in the landlord's notice.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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