First-tier Tribunal Sets Market Rent for Doncaster Property

OUTCOME: Dismissed

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FIRST - TIER TRIBUNAL PROPERTY CHAMBER (RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY)

Case Reference

MAN/00CE/MNR/2025/1007

[ADDRESS], [POSTCODE]

[NAME] [COUNSEL]

Tenant’s Representative N/A

Landlord

[NAME] ([NAME]) [RESPONDENT]

c/o [RESPONDENT], [ADDRESS], [POSTCODE]

Landlord’s [COMPANY] of Application

23 October 2025

Type of Application Determination of a Market Rent sections 13 & 14 of the Housing Act 1988

Tribunal Members Judge L [NAME] Tribunal Member [NAME] of Decision

11 May 2026

Rent Determined

£1100.00 per calendar month

Date the new rent takes effect

29 October 2025

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REASONS FOR THE DECISION

Background

1. On 27 August 2025, the Landlord served a notice under Section 13(2) of the

Housing Act 1988 which proposed a new rent of £1100.00 per calendar month

(pcm) in place of the existing rent of £1025.00 pcm to take effect from 29

October 2025.

2. On 23 October 2025, under Section 13(4)(a) of the Housing Act 1988, the

Tenant referred the Landlord’s notice proposing a new rent to the Tribunal for

determination of a market rent.

3. The assured tenancy commenced on 29 October 2024. The rental period is

monthly.

Allocation of Repairs between Landlord and Tenant.

4. As per section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.

Services Charges or furniture provided by Landlord (other than carpets and curtain and [NAME] goods specified below) and the costs relating to the same.

5. No service charges were identified as part of or separately from the rent. The Tenant stated in the application form that no furniture was provided by the Landlord

Liability for Council Tax

6. The Tenant is responsible for the payment of Council Tax in respect of [NAME]. The rent determined is exclusive of Council Tax.

Any other terms of the tenancy taken into consideration in determining the rent.

7. The Tribunal did not consider that any other terms of the tenancy were required to be taken into consideration in determining the rent.

Inspection/Hearing

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8. Neither party requested an oral hearing. The Tribunal has considered this case on the basis of the papers provided by the parties and its own knowledge and specialist expertise.

[NAME]

9. The Tribunal attempted to carry out an inspection of [NAME] on 6 May 2026. The parties were notified of the inspection but did not attend. The Tribunal were advised by the person answering the door that they had only moved in recently and they were not the Applicant. Neither party advised the Tribunal prior to the inspection that the tenancy has ended. The Tribunal has therefore gone on to deal with the application. Tribunal members were unable to inspect the interior or the rear of [NAME].

10. [NAME] is a two-storey detached property built recently, in the last 10 years, with garden to the rear and a driveway for parking. [NAME] offers the following accommodation:

Hall, kitchen, lounge, downstairs toilet, three bedrooms, and bathroom.

[NAME] is situated in Doncaster within close proximity of amenities. Doncaster town centre is approximately 1.7 miles away.

Evidence

11. The Landlord returned the Tribunal’s Reply form. The Tenant did not.

The Tenant.

12. In terms of rental evidence, within the papers provided by the Landlord were emails from the Tenant stating there are identical properties on the same estate as [NAME] for less or equal to the rent proposed and that the rent increase proposed would be at the top end of the range which does not reflect fair market value. The comparables provided were:

a) Detached three bedroom, one bathroom property on [ADDRESS],

Doncaster for £1025 per calendar month; b) Semi-Detached three bedroom, one bathroom property on [ADDRESS], Doncaster for £995 per calendar month; c) Detached three bedroom, one bathroom property on [ADDRESS], Doncaster for £1100 per calendar month.

The Landlord

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13. The Landlord’s agent provided the following comparables:

a) Detached three bedroom property on [ADDRESS], Doncaster for £1100 per calendar month; b) Semi-detached three bedroom, three-storey property on [ADDRESS], Doncaster for £1100 per calendar month; c) Detached three bedroom property on [ADDRESS], Doncaster for £1100 per calendar month; d) Semi-detached three bedroom property on [ADDRESS], Doncaster for £1100 per calendar month.

14. The Landlord’s agent also enclosed extract from the letting team of additional comparable achieved rents across similar properties:

e) Semi-detached three bedroom property on [ADDRESS], Doncaster for £1115 per calendar month; f) Detached three bedroom property on [ADDRESS], Doncaster for £1100 per calendar month; g) Detached three bedroom property on [ADDRESS], Doncaster for £1125 per calendar month; h) Detached three bedroom property on [ADDRESS], Doncaster for £1110 per calendar month; i) Detached three bedroom property on [ADDRESS], Doncaster for £1125 per calendar month; j) Detached three bedroom property on [ADDRESS], Doncaster for £1225 per calendar month; k) Detached three bedroom property on [ADDRESS], Doncaster for £1110 per calendar month; l) Detached three bedroom property on [ADDRESS], Doncaster for £1100 per calendar month; m) Detached three bedroom property on [ADDRESS], Doncaster for £1150 per calendar month; n) Detached three bedroom property on [ADDRESS], Doncaster for £1135 per calendar month; o) Semi-detached three bedroom property on [ADDRESS], Doncaster for £1115 per calendar month p) Detached three bedroom property on [ADDRESS], Doncaster for £1100 per calendar month; q) Detached three bedroom property on [ADDRESS], Doncaster for £1100 per calendar month

Determination and Valuation

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15. The Tribunal considers the comparables provided in the papers are relevant to this matter, they are properties the same or very similar to [NAME] on the same estate.

16. Relying on its own expert, general knowledge of rental values in the area and the comparables provided the Tribunal considers that the market rental of the subject Property modernised and in good order would be in the order of £1100.00 pcm.

17. From this level of rent, the Tribunal has made no adjustments in relation to the following:

(a) The condition of [NAME] relative to the comparable properties. (b) Any issues with the condition of [NAME] which may reduce its value. (c) Improvements and fittings provided by the Tenant and for which they should not pay.

The full valuation is shown below:

Starting Rent

£1100.00 pcm

Less a) Items given under (a) above

£0.00 b) Items given under (b) above

£0.00 c) Items given under (c) above

£0.00 £0.00

Market rent

£1100.00 pcm

Undue hardship

18. The new rent takes effect from the date specified in the Landlord’s Notice of Increase unless that would cause undue hardship to the tenant. In cases of undue hardship, the Tribunal has a discretion to fix a later starting date up to the date a Tribunal makes its determination.

19. The Tenant has not asked the Tribunal to fix a later starting date in this case.

Decision

20. Therefore, the Tribunal determines the market rent at £1100.00 per calendar month with effect from 29 October 2025.

APPEAL PROVISIONS

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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.