AllowedFirst-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)·23 December 2025

First-tier Tribunal Determines New Market Rent for Tenant

Case No.

📌 In brief

The First-tier Tribunal decided on a new monthly rent for a tenant's flat, setting it at £617.50 starting from November 29, 2024. This decision was made according to the Housing Act 1988, considering the market value of similar properties in the area.

⚖️ Legal holding

A tenant is entitled to have their rent determined by the First-tier Tribunal based on the market value of similar properties in the locality.

Topics

rent determinationmarket rentHousing Act 1988

Provisions

Housing Act 1988 s.13 Housing Act 1988 s.14

📖 What the law says

Housing Act 1988 s.13

This section applies to certain types of assured periodic tenancies, allowing landlords to serve a notice proposing an increase in rent. The notice must specify a new rent to take effect at the start of a new period, which cannot begin sooner than two months after the notice is served. There are additional conditions for when the rent can be increased again after the initial increase.

Housing Act 1988 s.14

A tenant under an assured tenancy can apply to a tribunal to challenge the rent payable under the tenancy. The tribunal will then determine the rent at which the property might reasonably be expected to be let in the open market by a willing landlord under an assured tenancy, considering various factors including the terms of the existing tenancy.

Plain-English explanation — does not replace advice from a solicitor.

📖 Technical summary

The Tribunal determined a new market rent for a residential property under sections 13 and 14 of the Housing Act 1988.

📜 Headnote Official document

The First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) determined a new market rent of £617.50 per month for a tenant's property, effective from November 29, 2024, based on the Housing Act 1988 sections 13 and 14.

📚 Full judgment Official document

OUTCOME: Allowed

Case Reference

: BIR/17UC/MNR/2024/0640

Property : 2 [ADDRESS] [POSTCODE]

Tenant

: [APPELLANT]

Landlord : [ADDRESS]

Landlord’s agent : [NAME] of Application : Determination of a Market Rent under sections 13 & 14 of the Housing Act 1988

Tribunal Members : [NAME]

Judge David R Salter

Date of Decision : 9 September 2025

Date of Issue

: 17 September 2025

_______________________________________________

DECISION

The Tribunal determines a rent of £617.50 per calendar month with effect from 29 November 2024. ____________________________________

FIRST - TIER TRIBUNAL PROPERTY CHAMBER (RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY)

2 REASONS FOR THE DECISION

Background

1. The Landlord served a notice under Section 13(2) of the Housing Act 1988 (“the Act”) which proposed a new rent of £620.00 per calendar month (pcm), in place of the existing rent of £520.00 pcm, to take effect from 29 November 2024. The original tenancy commenced on 29 September 2017.

2. By an application received on 26 November 2024, under Section 13(4)(a) of the Act, the Tenant referred the Landlord’s notice proposing a new rent to the Tribunal for determination of a market rent.

Inspection

3. The Tribunal has not carried out an inspection of the Property. Neither party requested an oral hearing. Accordingly, the Tribunal has considered this case on the basis of the papers provided by the parties and having regard to its own knowledge, expertise and online research.

The Property

4. The application form combined with the Tribunal’s own research, confirmed essential details of the Property as a ground floor flat formed as a conversion, offering the following accommodation:

Open living room, kitchen, raised mezzanine floor, box* bedroom and bathroom.

Outside: Parking Space.

The Property is situated within the small town of Shirebrook and there are amenities available within walking distance. Shirebrook lies approximately 20 miles to the north of Nottingham.

* Tenant’s description.

Evidence

5. Neither the Tenant nor the Landlord returned the Tribunal’s Reply forms.

Determination and Valuation

6. Relying on its own expert, general knowledge of rental values in the area, the Tribunal considers that the majority of achieved rentals for flats with one bedroom in the locality of the subject appear to be in the range of £550.00 to £700.00 pcm.

3 Considering the Property relative to the comparable information available, the Tribunal adopts £650.00 pcm as a starting point.

7. From this level of rent, the Tribunal has made adjustments in relation to the following:

a) Tenant’s decorating liability at 5% of market rent.

The full valuation is shown below:

pcm Market Rent

£650.00

Less a) Items given under a) above

£30.00

£32.50

Say

£617.50

Decision

12. Therefore, the Tribunal determines the market rent at £617.50 with effect from 29 November 2024.

Chairman: [NAME]

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/17UC/MNR/2024/0640

Notice of the Tribunal Decision and Register of Rents under Assured Periodic Tenancies (Section 14 Determination)

Housing Act 1988 Section 14

Address of Premises The Tribunal members were. 2 [ADDRESS] [POSTCODE]

[NAME] Judge David R [ADDRESS] Address

Tenant

[APPELLANT]

1. The rent is: £617.50 Per month (excluding water rates and council tax but including any amounts in paras 3)

2. The date the decision takes effect is: 29 November 2024

3. The amount included for services is not applicable

Per

4. Date assured tenancy commenced 29 September 2017 5. Length of the term or rental period Monthly 6. Allocation of liability for repairs Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 7. Furniture provided by landlord or superior landlord

8. Description of premises Ground Floor Flat with one bedroom

[NAME] of Decision 9 September 2025

📊 How courts decide similar cases

Among 12 similar decisions in this collection:

Allowed5 cases

Allowed in Part5 cases

Dismissed1 case

First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Market Rent Determination for Flat Under Housing Act 1988

Other1 case

First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Tribunal Sets Market Rent at £1,000 Per Month

A snapshot of this collection — not a prediction of your case's outcome.

⚖️ What tends to weigh in cases like this

✅ Tends to be accepted

The Tribunal determined the market rent for the property to be £617.50 per calendar month.
The new rent will take effect from 29 November 2024.
The Tribunal used its own expert knowledge of rental values in the area to determine the rent.
The Tribunal considered that one-bedroom flats in the locality generally rent for £550.00 to £700.00 per month.
A starting point of £650.00 per month was adopted for the market rent before adjustments.
An adjustment of £32.50 was made for the tenant's decorating liability, calculated as 5% of the market rent.

❌ Tends to be rejected

Neither the tenant nor the landlord returned the Tribunal's Reply forms, meaning their specific arguments were not considered.

Patterns observed in similar cases in this collection — every case is unique.

❓ Frequently asked questions

What did this decision decide?

It set a new monthly rent of £617.50 for the tenant's flat, effective from November 29, 2024.

Who was involved?

The tenant and the landlord were involved, with the First-tier Tribunal making the decision.

How did the court decide, and why?

The court considered the market value of similar properties in the area and adjusted the proposed rent accordingly.

Which laws or rules were applied?

Sections 13 and 14 of the Housing Act 1988 were applied.

What was the argument that mattered most?

The argument that mattered most was the comparison of the property's value to similar properties in the locality.

Was the decision for or against the person who brought the case?

The decision was for the tenant, as it set a lower rent than what the landlord had proposed.

What does this mean for someone in a similar situation?

Someone in a similar situation might also be able to challenge a proposed rent increase if it is deemed unreasonable compared to market rates.

What evidence or documents mattered?

The evidence included the landlord's proposal, the tenant's referral to the tribunal, and the tribunal's own research on local rental values.

Can a decision like this be appealed?

Yes, either party can apply for permission to appeal to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) on any point of law arising from this decision.

Is it worth getting a solicitor for a case like this?

It is always recommended to seek advice from a qualified solicitor for cases involving rent determination.

Official source: First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) — headnote and full judgment reproduced from the court's public records. View on the official source ↗Summary, holding, technical summary and questions: produced by Artificial Intelligence based on the official headnote and judgment. These are VadeLab’s own material and are not the work of the Court.This decision was issued by the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) and is reproduced from its published records. VadeLab is not affiliated with, and this page is not endorsed by, that court or tribunal.