Tribunal Sets Fair Rent for Ipswich Tenancy

OUTCOME: Allowed in Part

Case Reference : CAM/42UD/F77/0036

P:PAPERREMOTE

Property : 54 [ADDRESS] [POSTCODE]

Applicant: [redacted]

Respondent: [redacted] : 10 December 2025

Type of Application : Determination of the registered rent under Section 70 Rent Act 1977

Tribunal

: Mrs [NAME] and venue of : 6 February 2026 Hearing remote on the papers after an inspection

_______________________________________________

DECISION ____________________________________

This has been a hearing on the papers which has not been objected to by the parties. A face to face hearing was not held because, no-one requested the same and I determined that the matter could be dealt with on the papers. The documents which I was referred to were in a bundle the contents of which I have recorded. The registered rent with effect from 6 February 2026 is £153 per week.

© CROWN COPYRIGHT 2026

FIRST - TIER TRIBUNAL PROPERTY CHAMBER (RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY)

Background

1. On 11 September 2025 the landlord applied to the rent officer for registration of a fair rent of £200 per week for the above property.

2. The registered rent at the date of the application was £95 per week which had been registered by the rent officer on 28 August 2014 with effect from the same date.

3. On 13 October 2025, the rent officer registered a fair rent of £158.50 per week with effect from the same date.

4. The landlord objected to the registered rent.

5. The tribunal issued Directions on 8 December 2025. The landlord made written submissions, none were received from the tenant.

The Inspection

6. I inspected the property on the morning of 6 February in the company of both the landlord and the tenant.

7. The property is a terraced house, c1900 in a street of mainly similar residential properties. Parking is via permit only. Externally the house is in good condition. The windows are Upvc double glazed units. There are garden areas to the front and rear of the property.

8. Internally the house is well maintained. The accommodation comprises on the ground floor two living rooms, kitchen and bathroom/wc and on the first floor two double bedrooms, a third small room is accessed off the rear bedroom; it’s use is curtailed by the cupboard on the rear wall housing the gas boiler. There is evidence of a historic leak on the ceiling in the rear first floor room. A repair has been completed but the decorations were no made good by the landlord.

9. The house has double glazed windows and replacement front door which were installed in 2019, heating is via a gas fired boiler and radiators. The kitchen which is fitted with several base units provided by the tenant, provides access to the rear garden and a lobby leading to the bathroom which has been refurbished. The electric wiring is surface mounted and there were significant areas of surface mounted pipework throughout the house.

The Evidence

10. The landlord asserted that the deductions which the rent officer had made for a basic kitchen, general condition and tenant’s decorating responsibilities was excessive and resulted in double counting. He was of the opinion that the valuation did not reflect any uplift for his improvements: the double glazing was installed in 20219 together with

the replacement front door. The bathroom had been refurbished in 2023. 11. The landlord referred to asking rents of two two bedroom terraced houses at asking rents of £850 and £990 per month and two three bedroomed houses at £1050 and £1195 per month. No details of the size or condition of these properties was provided.

12. The rent officer provided his inspection notes from an inspection in October 2025. The property had minor pointing issues. There was alack of insulation. The house had been rewired in 2014.

The Law

13. When determining a fair rent I, in accordance with section 70 of the Rent Act 1977, must have regard to all the circumstances including the age, location and state of repair of the property. I also must disregard the effect of any relevant tenant’s improvements and the effect of any disrepair or any other defect attributable to the tenant or any predecessor in title under the regulated tenancy, on the rental value of the property. I am unable to take into account the tenant’s personal circumstances when assessing the fair rent.

14. In [COMPANY] v Chairman of the Greater Manchester etc Committee (1995) 28 HLR 107 and [NAME] v [NAME] (1999) QB 92 the Court of appeal emphasised:

That ordinarily a fair rent is the market rent for the property discounted for scarcity i.e. that element, if any, of the market rent, that is attributable to there being a significant shortage of similar properties in the wider locality available for letting on similar terms to that of a regulated tenancy, and

That for the purposes of determining the market rent, assured tenancy market rents are usually appropriate comparables; adjusted as necessary to reflect any relevant differences between the comparables and the subject property.

Valuation 15. In the first instance I determined what rent the landlord could reasonably be expected to obtain for the property in the open market if it were let today in the condition and on the terms considered usual for such an open market letting. In addition to the brief details provided by the landlord I relied on my own general knowledge of rents within Ipswich and concluded that if the house was in the condition usually found on the open market it would let for £200 per week.

16. However, it was first necessary to adjust the hypothetical rent of £210 per week to allow for the differences between the terms and condition considered usual for such a letting and the condition of the actual property at the valuation date, ignoring any tenant’s improvements, (disregarding the effect of any disrepair or other defect attributable to the tenant or any predecessor in title). I determined that the hypothetical rent should be reduced by £40 to reflect the unmodernised kitchen, white goods, floor coverings, curtains and difference in terms and conditions.

17. This leaves an adjusted market rent for the subject property of £170 per week. I am of the opinion that there is substantial scarcity for similar sized properties in the commuter belt of East Anglia and therefore made a deduction of approximately 10% for scarcity. The uncapped fair rent is £153 per week.

18. As the double glazing, replacement front door and refitted bathroom were installed since 2014 when the rent was previously registered I had to consider whether the improvements took the property out of the capping provisions. I am satisfied that these improvements would increase the rent by more than £14.25 per week(£95 x 15%) and therefore the capping provisions under the Rent Acts (Maximum Fair Rent) Order 1999 do not apply.

Decision

19. Therefore, the rent will not be capped under the provisions of the Order. Accordingly, the sum of £153 per week will be registered as the fair rent with effect from 6 February 2026 being the date of my decision. This is the maximum rent which may be charged under this tenancy for the next two years.

Chairman: [NAME]: 6 February 2026

ANNEX - 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 should be made on Form RP PTA available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/form-rp- pta-application-for-permission-to-appeal-a-decision-to-the-upper-tribunal-lands- chamber 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. Please note that if you are seeking permission to appeal against a decision made by the Tribunal

under the Rent Act 1977, the Housing Act 1988 or the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, this can only be on a point of law. If the First-tier Tribunal refuses to grant permission to appeal, a further application for permission may be made to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber).

First-tier Tribunal – Property Chamber File Ref No. CAM42UD/F77/2025/0036

Notice of the Tribunal Decision

Rent Act 1977 Schedule 11

Address of Premises The Tribunal members were 54 [ADDRESS] [POSTCODE]

[NAME]

Landlord [APPELLANT]

Tenant [RESPONDENT]

1. The fair rent is £153 Per week (excluding water rates and council tax but including any amounts in paras 3&4)

2. The effective date is 6 February 2026

3. The amount for services is not applicable £ Per

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).

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

8. For information only:

(a) The fair rent to be registered is not limited by the Rent Acts (Maximum Fair Rent) Order 1999 because it is exempt from the provisions of the Order as the increase in the rent due to the landlord’s improvements exceeds 15% of the previous registered rent.

Chairman E [NAME] of decision 6 February 2026