Flat 3, 15 Wesley Road Leeds LS12 1UH
Condition: Two-storey flat with its own entrance, found to be in good condition overall but with a non-working bathroom extractor fan and some mould, considered value significant.
Evidence considered
- Tenant's comparables (e.g. Nancroft Mount £775 pcm, Town Street £750 pcm, Branch Street £725 pcm) were given little weight as they appeared to be refurbished houses of higher standard and better layout than the subject flat.
- Landlord's comparables including 6/8 Paisley Place (£775 pcm) and Clyde Chase (£775 pcm) were given little weight as not comparable property types (back-to-back houses, modern town houses).
- Winker Green Lodge (£795 pcm) disregarded as not comparable - had parking, gated entrance, part-furnished top floor flat in converted industrial building.
- Aviary Grove comparator (£675 pcm) given little weight due to lack of detail.
- Tribunal relied on its own general knowledge of prevailing rents in Armley, including a 2-bed flat at Nancroft Mount at £645 pcm (similar age but shared entrance) as a key benchmark.
- A notional market rent of £700 pcm was set, with a £10 pcm deduction for disrepair (non-working extractor fan/mould) to reach the final figure.
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal determined the property was a flat (conversion to the rear of a house split into flats), not a house as the landlord argued, and valued it accordingly. After weighing comparables from both parties - giving little weight to most due to differences in property type, condition, or lack of detail - and applying its own knowledge of local rents (particularly a comparable 2-bed flat at £645 pcm), it arrived at a market rent of £700 pcm. A £10 pcm deduction was then applied for a value-significant disrepair issue (non-functioning bathroom extractor fan with no window, contributing to mould), producing a final determined rent of £690 pcm effective from the date specified in the landlord's notice.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
Want the evidence, not just the decision?
Around half of the decisions in this database cite a problem with the evidence submitted — comparable tribunal outcomes are usually what decides these cases, for both sides. We're testing a paid evidence pack and a guided walkthrough of the application, built from this database.
Landlord evidence pack — from £15
Nearby tribunal outcomes, a rent level likely to survive a challenge, and an evidence pack in the format the tribunal expects — timed for when you serve a section 13 notice.
Register interest in the landlord packTenant pack — from £19
Whether challenging your rent increase is worth it, plus the comparable decisions to include with your MR1 application to the tribunal.
Register interest in the tenant packNot built yet — register your interest by email and we'll let you know when it's ready. This isn't legal advice; see the law and free advice options.