85 Dulverton Vale Bells Lane Nottingham NG8 6EB
Condition: The property had some disrepair issues including part double glazing, a damaged boundary fence, worn carpets/flooring and ongoing mould/damp, though some items (boiler, ceiling crack) had been repaired by the landlord.
Evidence considered
- Tenant provided comparables: semi-detached houses advertised at £895 and £900 pcm, and a terraced house at £795 pcm
- Landlord provided comparables of fully modernised properties: a semi-detached house and two end town houses, each offered at £1,100 pcm
- Tenant supplied a council housing report and photographs evidencing disrepair (boiler, ceiling crack, roof tiles, fencing, flooring, mould)
- Landlord supplied photographs showing completed repairs (new boiler, ceiling repair, fan installed)
- Tribunal relied substantially on its own expert knowledge of local rental values rather than solely on the comparables
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal assessed the open-market rent for the semi-detached house at £1,050 pcm based on its own knowledge and the comparables submitted, then deducted £205 pcm for condition issues (part double glazing, boundary fence disrepair, worn carpets/flooring, ongoing mould/damp, and general poorer presentation compared to the landlord's fully modernised comparables), arriving at £845 pcm. The tribunal also found that an immediate increase would cause the tenant undue hardship, given her Universal Credit funding and evidence of outgoings, so it postponed the effective date to the date of its decision rather than the date in the landlord's notice.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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