Flat 1, 21 Empress Drive, Blackpool, Lancashire, FY2 9SD
Condition: Small ground-floor flat (living room/kitchen, one bedroom, and a bathroom converted from a corner of the bedroom) with electric heating in each room and double glazing; the building recently had external thermal-liner insulation installed. No furniture provided.
Evidence considered
- Landlord: a surveyor's report on Blackpool rental values — typical one-bed flat range £450–£625 pcm, with a specific mid-figure of £550 pcm, though the report itself cautioned the figures were not precise
- Tenant proposed £432.24 pcm, based on their first rent increase from years earlier, which the tribunal rejected as an outdated figure not reflecting current rents
Tenant submitted evidence: no. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
Relying on a surveyor's general (heavily caveated) report on Blackpool rents and its own market knowledge, the tribunal valued the flat in good condition at around £525 pcm. As the landlord's proposed £512.26 pcm was below this, the tribunal determined the rent at the landlord's proposed figure.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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