First Floor Studio, 70 Alma Road, Plymouth, Devon, PL3 4HD
Condition: A first-floor self-contained studio in a converted semi-detached house, inclusive of bills, with some disrepair issues raised including damp, a non-working window, mismatched kitchen units and an overgrown shared garden.
Evidence considered
- Tenant submitted Rightmove listings for one-bedroom and studio flats in Plymouth ranging from £600-£675 pcm
- Landlord submitted comparable lettings evidence grouped into annexes ranging from £650 pcm to £1,196 pcm, including other rooms in the same building let inclusive of bills from £750-£1,083 pcm
- Tribunal gave particular weight to a comparable furnished studio on the same road (Alma Road) let at £750 pcm inclusive of bills
- Tribunal applied its own expert knowledge of local rental values alongside the comparables
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal set a starting market rent of £750 pcm (inclusive of bills) based primarily on a closely comparable furnished studio on the same road let at £750 pcm, alongside other comparable evidence from both parties and its own expert knowledge. It then deducted £75 pcm in total to reflect the tenant's provision of curtains (£10) and a refrigerator (£15), plus a single composite adjustment of £50 for various condition/specification issues raised by the tenant (fire alarm concerns, security, disrepair, damp, works carried out by the tenant), arriving at £675 pcm. The tribunal also found the increase would cause the tenant undue hardship and therefore set the new rent to take effect from the date of its determination rather than the date in the landlord's notice.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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