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AllowedFirst-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)·

First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Decision — Case 4169601

Case No.

📌 In brief

The First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) has determined the maximum fair rent for a property to be £118.50 per week. This includes service charges but excludes water rates and council tax.

⚖️ Legal holding

A tenant is entitled to a fair rent calculation under the Rent Act 1977, adjusted by the RPI and a fixed percentage, resulting in a new rent of £118.50 per week.

Topics

fair rentrent regulationretail price index

Provisions

Rent Act 1977 Schedule 11Rent Acts (Maximum Fair Rent) Order 1999

📖 Technical summary

The First-tier Tribunal set a new fair rent of £118.50 per week for an assured tenancy, applying the Retail Price Index (RPI) increase and a fixed percentage adjustment.

📜 Headnote Official document

The First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) decided on the maximum fair rent for a property, setting it at £118.50 per week, excluding water rates and council tax but including service charges.

📚 Full judgment Official document

OUTCOME: Allowed

Notice of the Tribunal Decision

Rent Act 1977 Schedule 11

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

Ms [NAME]-Farey

Landlord [COMPANY]

Tenant Mr [APPELLANT]

1. The fair rent is £118.50 Per Week (excluding water rates and council tax but including any amounts in paras 3&4)

2. The effective date is 27 November 2020

3. The amount for services is £1.41 Per Week

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

n/a Per

negligible/not applicable

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

6. The capping provisions of the Rent Acts (Maximum Fair Rent) Order 1999 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 the maximum fair rent as prescribed by the Rent Acts (Maximum Fair Rent) Order 1999. The rent that would otherwise have been registered was £136 per week including £1.41 per week for services.

Chairman Judge Hamilton- Farey Date of decision 27 November 2020

First-tier Tribunal – Property Chamber File Ref No. LON/00AJ/F77/2020/0006

MAXIMUM FAIR RENT CALCULATION

LATEST RPI FIGURE X 294.3

PREVIOUS RPI FIGURE Y 258.6

X 294.3 Minus Y 258.6 = (A) 35.7

(A) 35.7 Divided by Y 258.6 = (B) 0.1380

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) 1.1880

Last registered rent* £99.50 Multiplied by (C) = 118.21 *(exclusive of any variable service charge)

Rounded up to nearest 50p = £118.50

Variable service charge NO If YES add amount for services

MAXIMUM FAIR RENT = £118.50 Per week

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.

📊 How courts decide similar cases

Among 12 similar decisions in this collection:

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 tenant is entitled to a maximum fair rent calculated according to the Rent Acts (Maximum Fair Rent) Order 1999.
  • The tenant's entitlement to a fair rent calculation under the Rent Act 1977 was recognized.
  • The court consistently allowed claims based on the Maximum Fair Rent Order 1999.

❌ Tends to be rejected

  • No significant factors identified that went against the claimant in these cases.

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

❓ Frequently asked questions

What did this decision decide?

The Tribunal set a new fair rent of £118.50 per week for an assured tenancy.

What was the dispute about?

The dispute was about calculating the fair rent for an assured tenancy using the Retail Price Index (RPI) increase and a fixed percentage adjustment.

How did the court decide, and why?

The court decided to set a new fair rent of £118.50 per week, applying the Retail Price Index (RPI) increase and a fixed percentage adjustment as required by the Rent Acts (Maximum Fair Rent) Order 1999.

Which laws or rules were applied?

The Rent Act 1977 and the Rent Acts (Maximum Fair Rent) Order 1999 were applied.

What was the argument that mattered most?

The argument that mattered most was the application of the correct formula to calculate the fair rent, including the Retail Price Index (RPI) increase and a fixed percentage adjustment.

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

The decision was for the person who brought the case, setting a new fair rent of £118.50 per week.

What does this mean for someone in a similar situation?

Someone in a similar situation can expect their fair rent to be calculated using the same formula, including the Retail Price Index (RPI) increase and a fixed percentage adjustment.

What evidence or documents mattered?

The judgment does not specify the evidence or documents that mattered.

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.