First-tier Tribunal Adjusts Fair Rent to £660 Due to Property Condition

OUTCOME: Allowed

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Case Reference

: LON/00AW/F77/2025/0297

Property : [ADDRESS], [POSTCODE]

Tenant

: [APPELLANT]

Landlord : [APPELLANT] of Application : Section 70, Rent Act 1977

Tribunal: : Judge Shepherd and [NAME] of Summary Reasons

: 12th February 2026

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DECISION

The sum of £660 per month will be registered as the fair rent with effect from 12th February 2026 being the date the Tribunal made the Decision. ____________________________________

© CROWN COPYRIGHT 2023

FIRST - TIER TRIBUNAL PROPERTY CHAMBER (RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY)

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SUMMARY REASONS

Background 1. Following an objection from the Tenant to the determination of a fair rent by the Rent Officer, the Tribunal has made a determination under the provisions of the Rent Act 1977. The rent challenged was £750 per month from 9th September 2025.

Inspection

2. The Tribunal carried out an inspection. The room is within an impressive mansion block viewed externally from the front. Internally the block is considerably less impressive. The common areas are extremely tired and in need of modernisation. The Applicant’s room whilst large is desperately in need of attention and modernisation. His fridge is defective. The decorations are poor. The white good are in a poor state. He has suffered disrepair with the electrics as well as a leak from above. Most seriously he is an [NAME] who is expected to use stairs to access a bathroom which is shared. This is because the landlord has not repaired the shower adjacent to his room. [NAME] has carried out an inspection of the property on 13th February 2024.

Evidence 3.The Tribunal has consideration of the written submissions provided by the Tenant and landlord and its own inspection.

Determination and Valuation 4. Having consideration of the comparable evidence proved by the parties and our own expert, general knowledge of rental values in the area, we consider that the open market rent for the property in good tenantable condition would be in the region of £1100 per calendar month. From this level of rent we have made adjustments in relation to:

Lack of repair/ need of modernisation – 20%

5. The Tribunal has also made an adjustment for scarcity -20%

6. The full valuation is shown below:

Market rent £1100 per calender month.

Disrepair/modernisation -£220

Less scarcity- £220 per calender month

Equals- £660 per month

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Add the services of £91.50

The maximum fair rent is £751.50 pcm

Therefore the Tribunal determines a rent of £751.50 per calender month.

Decision 8. The uncapped fair rent initially determined by the Tribunal, for the purposes of section 70, was £660 per calendar month . The capped rent for the property according to the provisions of the Rent Acts (Maximum Fair Rent) Order 1999 is calculated at £898.01. The calculation of the capped rent is shown on the decision form. In this case the lower rent of £660 per calendar month is to be registered as the fair rent or this property.

Chairman: Judge Shepherd

12th February 2026

APPEAL PROVISIONS

These summary reasons are provided to give the parties an indication as to how the Tribunal made its decision. If either party wishes to appeal this decision, they should first make a request for full reasons and the details of how to appeal will be set out in the full reasons. Any request for full reasons should be made within a month. Any subsequent application for permission to appeal should be made on Form RP PTA