Flat L, 4 Vicarage Parade, West Green Road, London N15 3BL
Condition: Third floor flat affected by mould and damp, lacking wooden flooring and a balcony found in comparable units, with remedial works said by the tenant to have been ineffective.
Evidence considered
- Four comparable lettings in the same block with tenancy start dates in May/June 2026, considered directly comparable and most relevant - rents £1,400-£1,500 pcm
- One additional landlord comparable in a different street at £1,700 pcm, given less weight as less directly comparable
- Tenant-proposed comparable: a one-bedroom third floor flat in the same location at £1,350 pcm
- Photographic evidence of mould/damp in the subject property, used to justify a condition-based deduction rather than to assess historic disrepair
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal preferred four directly comparable lettings in the same block, which it valued at £1,475 pcm for a recently-let flat with wooden flooring and a balcony. It then applied a 15% deduction from that figure to reflect the subject flat's inferior condition (damp/mould, no wooden flooring, no balcony), arriving at £1,254 pcm. Because the increase (14%) would cause the unemployed, benefits-reliant tenant hardship, the new rent was set to take effect only from the date of the tribunal's decision rather than being backdated to the landlord's notice.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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