7 Ham Corner, Harwell, Didcot, Oxfordshire. OX11 0FT
Condition: Modern terraced house with ongoing damp and mould issues linked to insulation and ventilation defects.
Evidence considered
- Tenant provided Home Swapper listing screenshots for comparable 3-bed houses in Harwell and Blewbury, but these were rejected as housing association/mutual exchange listings rather than open market rents
- Tenant submitted an independent expert witness disrepair report detailing damp/mould defects and estimated repair cost of approximately £3,925 including VAT
- Tribunal relied on its own expert knowledge of open market rental values in the area to set a starting market rent, then applied a 15% deduction for tenant-responsibility items (decoration, furniture, white goods) and for the condition/damp issues
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: no.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal used its own expert knowledge of open market rents to value the property in good condition at £334.62 per week (£1,450 pcm), rejecting the tenant's mutual-exchange listings as they reflected housing association rather than open market rents. It then deducted 15% to reflect the tenant's responsibility for decoration, furniture and white goods, and the property's damp/mould condition evidenced by an independent disrepair report, arriving at £284.42 per week (converted to pcm). The tribunal found no undue hardship and set the new rent effective from the date in the landlord's notice.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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