Room 1, 27 Honister Avenue High West Jesmond Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 3PA
Condition: Room in a six-bedroom HMO with minor defects (slightly narrow bed frame, small carpet hole) and minor disrepair in communal areas not warranting rent deduction.
Evidence considered
- Tenant submitted six comparables, only four in Jesmond, ranging £500-£575pcm, of uncertain provenance (possibly internet asking prices) and limited weight given relevance concerns.
- Landlord submitted detailed schedule of six room rents within the same HMO (£525-£650pcm) and nine room rents at a nearby comparable HMO (£550-£900pcm), given more weight as directly comparable.
- Tribunal also relied on its own knowledge and experience of market rents in the Jesmond area.
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal found the landlord's section 13 notice valid and assessed market rent using landlord-submitted comparables from the same HMO and a nearby comparable HMO, giving these more weight than the tenant's less directly comparable and uncertain evidence, alongside its own market knowledge of the Jesmond area. It determined a base market rent of £535pcm for the room in reasonable order, with no deduction for minor defects since these were either common to all rooms or trivial, then added the landlord's new global service charge of £65.47pcm (covering council tax, water and cleaning) to reach a total of £600.47pcm.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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