58A Blythswood Road, London, IG3 8SH
Condition: Property had an ongoing mice infestation, structural cracking, exposed pipework, peeling wallpaper from damp/condensation, and general disrepair.
Evidence considered
- Tenant's Zoopla extracts showing asking rents £1,250-£1,300 pcm for properties ~3 miles away, given little weight due to lack of detail and distance.
- Landlord's Zoopla extracts showing asking rents £1,599-£1,850 pcm, including properties on a nearby road considered outliers and in much better condition, given limited weight.
- Tribunal relied primarily on its own expert/general knowledge of local rental values, treating comparables as only partially helpful.
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal found neither party's comparable evidence (drawn from Zoopla asking prices on roads some distance from the property) particularly reliable, with none confirming actual achieved rents or matching the subject's road. Using its own expert knowledge and the landlord's comparables as a guide, it assessed the market rent for the property if modernised and in good condition at £1,600 pcm, then deducted £50 for an ongoing pest (mice) infestation and £150 for poor repair/workmanship, giving £1,400 pcm. The tribunal also considered the tenant's hardship request for a later start date but, since rent was fully covered by Universal Credit, found no undue hardship and set the new rent to take effect from the date in the landlord's original notice (27 February 2026).
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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