Flat 3, Gowland Court, 137-139 Seaside Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 3PG
Condition: Purpose-built flat with original single-glazed timber windows suffering rot, basic 35-year-old kitchen/bathroom, very basic electric storage heating, no white goods/carpets/curtains, and damp/rot to hallway skirting boards.
Evidence considered
- Comparable rental evidence submitted by both landlord and tenant, considered alongside the Tribunal's own knowledge of the Eastbourne rental market
- Tribunal's professional judgement set a 'good condition' market rent of £1,100 pcm, then applied a 25% (£275) deduction for poor internal condition, outdated fittings, lack of white goods/heating, and disrepair (rot/damp)
- General reference to Rightmove data showing rising average rents in Eastbourne due to restricted supply, used as market context rather than direct comparable evidence
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The Tribunal first assessed what the property would achieve in good marketable condition with modern fittings and heating, white goods, carpets and curtains, arriving at £1,100 pcm based on its professional judgement and the comparable evidence from both parties. It then applied a 25% deduction (£275) to reflect the property's poor actual condition, including aged kitchen/bathroom, no white goods, basic heating, rotting windows and damp/rot to skirting boards, producing a determined rent of £825 pcm. The figure was not a mechanical calculation but the Tribunal's estimate of the rent reduction needed to attract a tenant given the disrepair.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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