94 Dewsbury Road, London, NW10 1EP
Condition: A single room in a shared house, fairly well-kept with clean communal areas, but with significant eaves intrusion reducing usable floor space, inconsistent shower water pressure and some reported damp.
Evidence considered
- Landlord cited a comparable single room let nearby at £900 pcm, said to have less space and no natural light
- Landlord submitted internet screenshots of single room lettings ranging £900-£1,500 pcm, some of which the tenant argued included student accommodation not comparable to this property
- Landlord provided an agent's message suggesting the property could be let at £900 pcm
- Tenant submitted SpareRoom listings of single rooms ranging £736-£900 pcm
- Tribunal gave limited weight to both parties' comparables due to lack of detailed comparison, relying instead on its own inspection and market knowledge
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The landlord's notice proposed increasing rent from £800 to £840 pcm for a single room with shared kitchen, garden and bathroom in a shared house. The tenant disputed the comparables as not reflective of the property's defects (sloping ceilings/eaves reducing usable space, inconsistent water pressure, heating control issues) while the landlord relied on nearby lettings and internet listings of £900-£1,500. Following an inspection, the tribunal found the landlord's evidence under-valued the detrimental impact of the eaves and top-floor position, but also found the tenant's evidence (and opinion of £800) uncorroborated. Relying on its own expert knowledge of local rental values together with the limited comparable evidence from both sides, the tribunal determined a market rent of £820 pcm, modestly above the current rent and below the landlord's proposed figure.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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