28 Midland Road, Higham Ferrers, Northants, NN10 8DN
Condition: The property had several disrepair issues including stained ceilings, a defective window (since replaced), damp in the en-suite, and dangerous/damaged decking, leading to a rent deduction from the full market rent.
Evidence considered
- Landlords submitted a list of similar properties with asking rents ranging from £1,150 to £1,250 pcm, but no evidence of lettings actually agreed.
- Tenant provided photographs and an email detailing repair issues (stained ceilings, defective window, damaged plaster, damp in en-suite, faulty power point, damaged decking causing injuries), used to justify a condition-based deduction.
- Tribunal relied on its own knowledge of rental values in the Rushden area to set the base open-market figure.
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The Tribunal assessed the open-market rent for the property in good, tenantable condition at £1,250 pcm, based on its own knowledge of rental values in Rushden and the landlords' list of comparable asking rents. It then deducted £150 pcm (£50 for general wants of repair and £100 for dangerous/defective decking) evidenced by the tenant's photographs and correspondence, arriving at a determined rent of £1,100 pcm effective from the date in the second section 13 notice.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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