Ground Floor, 51 Clifford Avenue, London, SW14 7BW
Condition: The tribunal found the determined rent reflected the property's condition at the valuation date in light of the parties' respective repairing obligations.
Evidence considered
- Tenant's detailed submissions on condition and valuation, supported by photographs, proposing £1,700 pcm
- Landlord's reply (Rents 1A) stating he no longer wished to charge the notified £2,100 pcm and was content for rent to remain at £1,700 pcm
- Tribunal's own general knowledge and expertise of market rents in the area (no formal comparables evidence submitted by either party)
- Landlord's earlier letter referring to a privately agreed rent of £1,700 pcm
- Tenant's evidence of hardship (Student Finance England letter) considered but found not to require a later start date
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal first upheld the validity of the landlord's section 13 notice despite challenges over the stated existing rent, rent history, start date and a misspelt tenant name, applying the Mooney and Mannai case law. On the market rent itself, the tenant proposed £1,700 pcm (the rent the parties had privately agreed as currently payable) while the landlord, in his reply, said he no longer wished to pursue his notified figure of £2,100 pcm and was content for rent to remain at £1,700 pcm. Given both parties' stated positions and its own general knowledge of the local market, the tribunal determined the market rent at £1,700 pcm, concluding this would not cause the tenants undue hardship, so the new rent took effect from the date in the notice.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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