First-tier Tribunal Determines Fair Rent of £610 Per Month

OUTCOME: Allowed

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Case Reference

: BIR/00CN/F77/2025/0016

Property : 27 [ADDRESS] [POSTCODE]

Tenant

: Ms [APPELLANT] [NAME]

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

Tribunal Members : [NAME], [NAME] of Decision : 31 October 2025

Date of issue : 12 January 2026

DECISION

The sum of £610 per month (including £26.88 per month for services) will be registered as the fair rent with effect from 31 October 2025 being the date the Tribunal made the Decision. ____________________________________

FIRST - TIER TRIBUNAL PROPERTY CHAMBER (RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY)

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REASONS FOR THE DECISION

Background

1. Following an objection by the Landlord 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.

Inspection

2. The Tribunal did not inspect the property and considered this case on the basis of the papers provided by the parties and having regard to its own knowledge, expertise and online research.

Evidence

3. No written submissions or Reply Forms were provided by the parties.

4. However, the Tribunal understands from the application forms that the

property comprises a circa 1970’s self-contained purpose built flat with a hall,

three rooms, kitchen, bathroom, toilet and shared garden. There is no central

heating and the tenant is responsible for internal decorations and the landlord for

repairs and external decorations.

4. The Tenant supplied the white goods and the carpets and curtains. The Tribunal

also understands the kitchen and bathroom are both un-modernised.

5. There have been no improvements to the Property and there are no items of

disrepair.

Determination and Valuation

6. On consideration of the comparable evidence forwarded by the Rent Officer and

the Tribunal’s own expert knowledge of rental values in the area, the Tribunal

considers that the open market rent for the property in a satisfactory condition

would be in the region of £900 per month. From this level of rent, the Tribunal

has made adjustments in relation to the following:

a) Condition in relation to the bathroom and kitchen b) Curtains, carpets and white goods fitted by the Tenant. c) The Tenant’s liability to redecorate.

7. The Tribunal has also made an adjustment for scarcity using their own general

knowledge and experience. The Tribunal considers that in the wider geographical

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area there is an imbalance of supply and demand impacting on rental values and

has, therefore, has made a reduction of 10% for scarcity.

8. The full valuation is shown below: Per Month

Market Rent

£900

Less a) Items given under a) above

£125 b) Items given under b) above

£50 c) Tenant’s internal decoration liability @ 5% £45

£220 £680 Less Scarcity @ 10%

£68.00

Total £612.00

Say

£610.00

9. The Tribunal determines an uncapped rent of £610 per month (including services

at £26.88 per month).

Decision

10. The uncapped fair rent determined by the Tribunal, for the purposes of section 70, is therefore £610 per month from 31 October 2025. The maximum fair rent permitted by the Rent Acts (Maximum Fair Rent) Order 1999 is £667.50 per month. This therefore has no impact on the rent determined by the Tribunal. The calculation of the capped rent is shown on the decision form.

Chairman: [NAME]: 31 October 2025

APPEAL PROVISIONS

If either party is dissatisfied with this decision, they may apply for permission to appeal to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) on any point of law arising from this Decision. Prior to making such an appeal, an application must be made, in writing, to this Tribunal for permission to appeal. Any such application must be made within 28 days of the issue of this statement of reasons (regulation 52 (2) of The Tribunal Procedure (First-tier Tribunal) (Property Chamber) Rules 2013) stating the grounds upon which it is intended to rely in the appeal.

4 First-tier Tribunal – Property Chamber File Ref No.

BIR/00CN/F77/2025/0016

Notice of the Tribunal Decision

Rent Act 1977 Schedule 11

Address of Premises The Tribunal members were 27 [ADDRESS] [POSTCODE]

[NAME] & [NAME]

Landlord [APPELLANT]

Tenant Ms [APPELLANT]

1. The fair rent is £610 Per Month (excluding water rates and council tax but including any amounts in paras 3&4)

2. The effective date is 31 October 2025

3. The amount for services is £26.88 Per Month

4. The amount for fuel charges (excluding heating and lighting of common parts) not counting for rent allowance is

N/A Per N/A

5. The rent is not to be registered as variable.

6. The capping provisions of the Rent Acts (Maximum Fair Rent) Order 1999 do not apply (please see calculation overleaf).

7. Details (other than rent) where different from Rent Register entry

None

8. For information only:

The fair rent to be registered is not limited by the Rent Acts (Maximum Fair Rent) Order 1999, because it is below the maximum fair rent of £667.50 permitted by the Order.

[NAME] of decision 31 October 2025

5 MAXIMUM FAIR RENT CALCULATION

LATEST RPI FIGURE X 407.7

PREVIOUS RPI FIGURE Y 367.2

X 407.7 Minus Y 367.2 = (A) 40.5

(A) 40.5 Divided by Y 367.2 = (B) 0.1103

First application for re-registration since 1 February 1999 YES/NO

If yes (B) plus 1.075 = (C)

If no (B) plus 1.05 = (C) 1.05 + 0.1103 = 1.1603

Last registered rent* £575 Multiplied by (C) = £667.17 *(exclusive of any variable service charge)

Rounded up to nearest 50p = £667.50

Variable service charge NO If YES add amount for services

MAXIMUM FAIR RENT = £667.50 Per Month Explanatory Note

1. The calculation of the maximum fair rent, in accordance with the formula contained in the Order, is set out above.

2. In summary, the formula provides for the maximum fair rent to be calculated by:

(a) increasing the previous registered rent by the percentage change in the retail price index (the RPI) since the date of that earlier registration and

(b) adding a further 7.5% (if the present application was the first since 1 February 1999) or 5% (if it is a second or subsequent application since that date).

A 7.5% increase is represented, in the calculation set out above, by the addition of 1.075 to (B) and an increase of 5% is represented by the addition of 1.05 to (B).

The result is rounded up to the nearest 50 pence.

3. For the purposes of the calculation the latest RPI figure (x) is that published in the calendar month immediately before the month in which the Tribunal’s fair rent determination was made.

4. The process differs where the tenancy agreement contains a variable service charge and the rent is to be registered as variable under section 71(4) of the Rent Act 1977. In such a case the variable service charge is removed before applying the formula. When the amount determined by the application of the formula is ascertained the service charge is then added to that sum in order to produce the maximum fair rent.