Room 5, 36 Beatrice Street, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 1BB
Condition: Room in shared house with damp and mould to walls and shared bathroom, a defective shower, and rodent infestation.
Evidence considered
- Tenant provided a completed reply form, photographs of the property's condition, and a text trail with the landlord's agent
- Landlord and letting agent did not engage in proceedings or submit evidence
- Tribunal used its own expert and general knowledge of Swindon rental values, assisted by Rightmove and Google Maps
- No hearing or inspection was held; case decided on papers
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: no.
Tribunal's reasoning
The Tribunal first assessed a hypothetical open market rent of £500 per month for the room in good lettable condition with modern fittings, inclusive of council tax, water rates and utilities, based on its own expertise and general knowledge of the Swindon market. It then deducted £75 to reflect the tenant's evidenced disrepair issues (damp and mould, defective shower, rodent infestation), arriving at £425 per month. This deduction was a holistic estimate of how much a prospective tenant would discount for the condition, not a line-by-line costing.
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.