Room 8, 20 Pine Road, Manchester, M20 6UZ
Condition: Poor quality, unmodernised HMO room with en-suite showing disrepair including mould/condensation, poor window sealing, inconsistent heating, and worn communal areas.
Evidence considered
- Landlord's evidence of four other room lettings within the same HMO (2024), but given reduced weight as 15-22 months before the valuation date and lacking supporting detail (no marketing photos, tenancy agreements, or marketing duration)
- Tenant's table of six comparable Didsbury-area room listings (£550-£695 pcm, mostly bills included), but given limited weight as they were unlet (asking) properties with only one legible photo each
- Tribunal's own general knowledge and expertise of rental values in the area
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal set a starting point of £700 pcm for the room modernised, in good order and with all bills included, based on its own expertise and the comparables provided. It then deducted £75 for unmodernised condition, £75 for disrepair (mould, condensation, poor communal areas), and £25 because the tenant pays for room electricity, arriving at £525 pcm - the same as the existing rent. The landlord's comparables (other rooms in the same house) were given limited weight as they were 15-22 months old and lacked supporting detail, while the tenant's listings comparables were unlet properties with limited photographic evidence.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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