Hildene, 70 Plymouth Road, Buckfastleigh, Devon, TQ11 0DH
Condition: Overall condition was fair at best, with exterior neglect, ongoing disrepair disputes, and a missing washing machine, falling below the standard expected for a full market-rent letting.
Evidence considered
- Tenant cited two local 3-bedroom lettings in Buckfastleigh at £850-£1,100 pcm
- Landlord cited three comparables: a 3-bed house in Totnes at £1,600 pcm asking, a 4-bed detached house in Dartington at £2,000 pcm asking, and a 4-bed house in Totnes at £1,900 pcm asking
- Tribunal relied primarily on its own knowledge and judgement of rental values in the Buckfastleigh area rather than the submitted comparables
- Court-ordered surveyor's report found neglect by both tenant and landlord contributing to disrepair
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal assessed the open-market rent for the property in good condition at £1,375 pcm using its own knowledge of local rental values, having considered but given limited weight to the landlord's comparables (larger/modern houses in Totnes and Dartington) and the tenant's evidence of two cheaper 3-bed lettings in Buckfastleigh. It then applied deductions for the elevated location facing a busy trunk road (-£137) and below-market overall condition, including disrepair disputed between landlord and tenant (-£137), arriving at a determined rent of £1,100 pcm effective from the date 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.