Rent Determination for Assured Tenancy

OUTCOME: Allowed

MR22 First-tier Tribunal – Property Chamber File Ref No. LON/00AT/MNR/2025/0724

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 [ADDRESS], [POSTCODE]

[NAME] Mr [RESPONDENT] [COMPANY] 2000 [ADDRESS] [POSTCODE]

Tenant Mr [APPELLANT]

1. The rent is: £ 1150 Per Month (excluding water rates and council tax but including any amounts in paras 3)

2. The date the decision takes effect is: 8 March 2025

*3. The amount included for services is not applicable

Per

*4. Service charges are not included

5. Date assured tenancy commenced

6. Length of the term or rental period Monthly Assured Periodic Tenancy

7. Allocation of liability for repairs In accordance with agreement

8. Furniture provided by landlord or superior landlord None

9. Description of premises A converted third floor flat forming part of a four-storey former mid terrace house. Accommodation comprises bedroom, living room/kitchen area, shower room/WC..

[NAME] of Decision 4 November 2025

1

Case Reference

: LON/00AT/MNR/2025/0724

Property : [ADDRESS], [POSTCODE]

Tenant

: Mr [COUNSEL]

Landlord : [COMPANY] : None

Date of Objection : 7 March 2025

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

Tribunal

: Mr [NAME] Mr [NAME] of Extended Reasons : 4 November 2025

_______________________________________________

DECISION

The Tribunal determines a rent of £1,150 per calendar month with effect from 8 March 2025. ____________________________________

FIRST - TIER TRIBUNAL PROPERTY CHAMBER (RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY)

2

EXTENDED REASONS

Decision of the tribunal

The Tribunal determines that the rent that the property in its current condition as at the 8 March 2025 might reasonably be expected to achieve in the open market under an assured periodic tenancy in its current condition is £1,150 per month. Background 1. The Tenant has lived in the property since 2018. The tenancy was renewed on the 8 March 2023 for a term of 12 months at a rent of £1,000. Therefore, this is a statutory tenancy agreement.

2. The Landlord served a notice under Section 13(2) of the Housing Act 1988 dated 21 January 2025 which proposed a new rent of £1,450 per month in place of the existing rent of £1,100 per month to take effect from 8 March 2025. This being an increase of £350 per month 3. By an application dated 7 March 2025, the Tenant referred that Notice to the Tribunal for a determination of the market rent.

4. The landlord requested a hearing and inspection to determine this matter and the Tribunal agreed with this arrangement. Therefore, this case was considered on the basis of a proposed face to face hearing, the inspection, the papers provided by the parties together with the assistance of Rightmove and Google Maps.

Evidence 5. The Tribunal has before it a bundle of evidence which includes a background to the case and the Directions dated 2 July 2025. The Tribunal has received a completed reply statement from the landlord. There were no written submissions made by the landlord. The landlord provided evidence in connection with comparable rental values in the area which we will consider later in this decision.

3 Hearing and Inspection

6. A hearing was scheduled to take place at 9.30am on the 4 November 2025. Unfortunately, the landlord or tenant did not attend.

7. The Tribunal arrived at the property on the 4 November 2025 in the presence of the tenant Mr [APPELLANT].

8. The property was originally a four bedroom mid terrace house built around 2000 forming part of a [NAME]. Subsequently, the property has been split and extended to provide four converted flats. The flat is situated on the third floor approached via a long winding staircase. The accommodation comprises bedroom, living room, shower-room. There are very basic electric panel storage heaters, lighting to the flat is provided by 2 flat roof sky lights which provide limited daylight and poor ventilation. The shower room fittings are dated. There is non-allocated parking on frontage and a communal rear garden filled with dis-used mattresses and trampoline. The property is located on a busy mixed road within a reasonable distance of town centre amenities and Hounslow East Station.

The Law 9. The rules governing a determination are set out in section 14 of the Housing Act 1988. In particular, the Tribunal is to 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, subject to disregards in relation to the nature of the tenancy (i.e. it being granted to a “sitting tenant”) and any increase or reduction in the value due to the tenant’s improvements or failure to comply with the terms of the tenancy. In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, the Tribunal has proceeded on the basis that the landlord is responsible for repairs to the structure, exterior and any installations pursuant to section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and the tenant for interior decoration. The Valuation

10. Firstly, the Tribunal considered the rental evidence provided by the landlord. Essentially, this was a generic list of 25 flats taken from the Zoopla web site. The flats ranged from up market modern 2

4 bedrooms through to 1-bedroom flats at a rental range of £1,050- £2,100 per month.

11. Therefore, having carefully considered all the evidence the Tribunal considers that an achievable rent for the property in a good marketable condition with reasonably modern kitchen and bathroom fittings, modern services with carpets curtains and white goods provided by the Landlord would be £1,400 per month. This figure is based upon the landlord’s comparable evidence and the Tribunal’s professional judgement and experience in the Hounslow area.

12. The Tribunal considered the condition of the property based upon the above findings at the time of inspection.

Accordingly, we consider a deduction of £250 per month should be applied to take into account the lack of proper ventilation and lighting, the location on the third floor with no lift, no proper central heating and dated sanitary fittings. This reduces the rental figure to £1,150 per month. It should be noted that this figure cannot be a simple arithmetical calculation and is not based on capital costs but is the Tribunal’s estimate of the amount by which the rent would need to be reduced to attract a tenant. Decision

13. The Tribunal therefore determined that the rent at which the subject property might reasonably be expected to be let in the open market by a willing Landlord under an assured tenancy in its current condition was £1,150 per calendar month.

14. The Tribunal directs the new rent of £1,150 per month to take effect on the 8 March 2025. This being the date in the Landlord’s notice.

Chairman: [NAME]: 4 November 2025

5 Rights of appeal

By rule 36(2) of the Tribunal Procedure (First-tier Tribunal) (Property Chamber) Rules 2013, the tribunal is required to notify the parties about any right of appeal they may have. If a party wishes to appeal this decision to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber), then a written application for permission must be made to the First-tier Tribunal at the regional office which has been dealing with the case. The application for permission to appeal must arrive at the regional office within 28 days after the tribunal sends written reasons for the decision to the person making the application. If the application is not made within the 28 day time limit, such application must include a request for an extension of time and the reason for not complying with the 28 day time limit; the tribunal will then look at such reason(s) and decide whether to allow the application for permission to appeal to proceed, despite not being within the time limit. The application for permission to appeal must identify the decision of the tribunal to which it relates (i.e. give the date, the property and the case number), state the grounds of appeal and state the result the party making the application is seeking. If the tribunal refuses to grant permission to appeal, a further application for permission may be made to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber).