Reasons - 12 Grange Avenue Leeds LS7 4EJ
Condition: Victorian mid-terrace house in poor decorative order with damp, holes in floors, vermin, sloping floors, possible subsidence, a rotten Velux window, and one bedroom rendered unusable due to the landlord's stored belongings.
Evidence considered
- A third-party summary report on 5-bedroom rental prices in Chapeltown LS7 showing average rents of £1,600-£2,200 pcm as at September 2021, given limited weight due to lack of specificity
- A range of 5-bedroom property listings in the area from £1,795 to £3,010 pcm, largely discounted as too far away or in dissimilar locations
- An LS7 market rent summary showing no 5-bedroom data but an average of £1,005 pcm for 4-bedroom properties
- Tribunal's own research into a 4-bedroom terrace on a more desirable nearby street advertised at £1,600 pcm
- No closely comparable 5-bedroom properties within one mile were found
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal inspected the property and found significant disrepair (damp, holes in floors, vermin, sloping floors, possible subsidence, rotten Velux window) and that one of five bedrooms was unusable as it was filled with the landlord's belongings. Using several alternative valuation approaches (landlord vs tenant repairing obligation; 5-bedroom vs 4-bedroom basis reflecting the unusable room), each starting from a headline market rent derived from comparable 4- and 5-bedroom lettings in the area (with deductions for the unusable bedroom, landlord's neglect, necessary improvements, and tenant's improvements), the tribunal arrived at the same figure under every method. It therefore determined the market rent at the same level as the existing rent, £780 per month.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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