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AllowedFirst-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)·

First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Decision — Case 4173001

Case No.

📌 In brief

The First-tier Tribunal decided on a fair rent for a property, setting it at £89.00 per week. This decision was based on the Retail Price Index and the Rent Acts (Maximum Fair Rent) Order 1999.

⚖️ Legal holding

A tenant is entitled to a fair rent calculation under the Rent Act 1977, taking into account the Retail Price Index (RPI) adjustment formula, as applied in this case to determine a fair rent of £89.00 per week.

Topics

fair rentretail price indexmaximum fair rent

Provisions

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

📖 Technical summary

The Tribunal set a new fair rent of £89.00 per week for an assured tenancy, applying the RPI adjustment formula under the Rent Act 1977.

📜 Headnote Official document

The Tribunal determined a fair rent of £89.00 per week for a property, excluding water rates and council tax but including fuel charges, based on the Retail Price Index and the Rent Acts (Maximum Fair Rent) Order 1999.

📚 Full judgment Official document

OUTCOME: Allowed

FR24 First-tier Tribunal – Property Chamber File Ref No. MAN/00CX/F77/2018/0101

Notice of the Tribunal Decision

Rent Act 1977 Schedule 11

Address of Premises The Tribunal members were 72 [ADDRESS], [POSTCODE]

Mrs J Oliver LLB Mrs [APPELLANT] [APPELLANT]

Tenant Miss K [APPELLANT]

1. The fair rent is £89.00 Per Week (excluding water rates and council tax but including any amounts in paras 3&4)

2. The effective date is 29 March 2019

3. The amount for services is

Per

not applicable

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

Per

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) do not apply because it is below the capped rent

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

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 £91.00 per week prescribed by the Order.

Tribunal Judge Mrs J Oliver LLB Date of decision 29 March 2019

FR24 MAXIMUM FAIR RENT CALCULATION

LATEST RPI FIGURE X 283.0

PREVIOUS RPI FIGURE Y 263.4

X 283.0 Minus Y 263.4 = (A) 19.6

(A) 19.6 Divided by Y 263.4 = (B) 0.0744

First application for re-registration since 1 February 1999 NO

If yes (B) plus 1.075 = (C)

If no (B) plus 1.05 = (C) 1.1244

Last registered rent* £80.5 Multiplied by (C) = 90.51 *(exclusive of any variable service charge)

Rounded up to nearest 50p = £91.00

Variable service charge NO If YES add amount for services

MAXIMUM FAIR RENT = £91.00 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 fair rent was determined to be £89.00 per week.
  • The effective date for the fair rent decision was 29 March 2019.
  • The maximum fair rent calculation used the latest RPI figure of 283.0.
  • The previous RPI figure used in the calculation was 263.4.
  • The rent was not limited by the Rent Acts (Maximum Fair Rent) Order 1999 because it was below the maximum fair rent.

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

❓ Frequently asked questions

What did this decision decide?

The First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) set the fair rent for an assured tenancy at £89.00 per week, effective from 29 March 2019.

What was the dispute about?

The dispute was about setting a fair rent for an assured tenancy under the Rent Act 1977.

How did the court decide, and why?

The court decided to set the fair rent at £89.00 per week because it was below the maximum fair rent threshold of £91.00 per week.

Which laws or rules were applied?

The Rent Act 1977 Schedule 11 was applied.

What was the argument that mattered most?

The argument that mattered most was that the proposed rent was below the maximum fair rent threshold.

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

The decision was for the person who brought the case, as the fair rent was set below the maximum threshold.

What does this mean for someone in a similar situation?

Someone in a similar situation can expect their fair rent to be assessed according to the Rent Act 1977, considering the maximum fair rent threshold.

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.