Tribunal Upholds Proposed Rent Increase for Assured Tenancy

OUTCOME: Dismissed

MR22 First-tier Tribunal – Property Chamber File Ref No. CHI/24UE/MNR/2019/0030

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 12 [ADDRESS], [POSTCODE]

[NAME] Mr [RESPONDENT] [NAME]

Landlord ? Address c/o [NAME], [ADDRESS], [POSTCODE]

Tenant Ms [APPELLANT]

1. The rent is: £ 775.00 Per Calendar Month (excluding water rates and council tax but including any amounts in paras 3)

2. The date the decision takes effect is: 25 May 2019

3. The amount included for services is not applicable n/a Per n/a

4. Date assured tenancy commenced 31 July 2008

5. Length of the term or rental period Monthly periodic

6. Allocation of liability for repairs As per agreement

7. Furniture provided by landlord or superior landlord None

8. Description of premises A semi-detached bungalow with 2 bedrooms, living room, kitchen and bathroom/wc. Garage and garden. Gas central heating.

[NAME] of Decision 3 June 2019

© CROWN COPYRIGHT

FIRST-TIER TRIBUNAL PROPERTY CHAMBER (RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY) Case Reference : CHI/24UE/MNR/2019/0030 Property : 12 [ADDRESS] [POSTCODE] Type of Application : Decision in relation to Housing Act 1988

Date of Decision : 3 June 2019

Reasons for the decision

Background

1. The Landlord served a notice under Section 13(2) of the Housing Act 1988 which proposed a new rent of £775.00 per month in place of the existing rent of £650.00 per month to take effect from 25 May 2019.

2. On 3 April 2019 the Tribunal received an application from the Tenant under Section 13(4) (a) of the Housing Act 1988.

3. On 16 April 2019 the Tribunal made Directions requiring the landlord to send a statement to the tenant and to the Tribunal supporting the application for an increase in rent. The Tenant was also required to send a statement to the Landlord and to the Tribunal in support of his objection.

4. The Tribunal office informed the parties that the Tribunal intended to determine the rent based on an inspection of the property and written representations subject to the parties requesting an oral hearing. No

request was made by the parties for a hearing and an inspection was arranged.

Inspection

5. The Tribunal inspected the property as arranged in the company of the tenant. The property is a semidetached bungalow built of brick under a tiled roof. The centrally heated accommodation comprises a hall off which there are two bedrooms, a small bathroom/WC and a rear living room leading to the kitchen with door out to rear garden. Outside is a single garage. The property appeared to be in fair condition internally although the exterior had a displaced section of gutter and peeling paintwork.

The parties’ representations

6. Neither party submitted representations and at the inspection the Tenant indicated to the Tribunal that her tenancy was to cease on 13 July 2019.

The law

7. S14 Determination of Rent by First-tier Tribunal

(1) Where, under subsection (4) (a) of section 13 above, a tenant refers to a First-tier Tribunal a notice under subsection (2) of that section, the Tribunal shall determine the rent at which, subject to subsections (2) and (4) below, the Tribunal consider that the dwelling-house concerned might reasonably be expected to be let in the open market by a willing landlord under an assured tenancy-

(a) which is a periodic tenancy having the same periods as those of the tenancy to which the notice relates; (b) which begins at the beginning of the new period specified in the notice; (c) the terms of which (other than relating to the amount of the rent) are the same as those of the tenancy to which the notice relates; and (d) in respect of which the same notices, if any, have been given under any of Grounds 1 to 5 of Schedule 2 to this Act, as have been given (or have effect as if given) in relation to the tenancy to which the notice relates.

(2) In making a determination under this section, there shall be disregarded-

(a) any effect on the rent attributable to the granting of a tenancy to a sitting tenant;

(b) any increase in the value of the dwelling-house attributable to a relevant improvement carried out by a person who at the time it was carried out was the tenant, if the improvement- was carried out otherwise than in pursuance of an obligation to his immediate landlord, or (c) (ii) was carried out pursuant to an obligation to his immediate landlord being an obligation which did not relate to the specific improvement concerned but arose by reference to consent given to the carrying out of that improvement; and (d) any reduction in the value of the dwelling-house attributable to a failure by the tenant to comply with any terms of the tenancy.

(3) For the purposes of subsection (2)(b) above, in relation to a notice which is referred by a tenant as mentioned in subsection (1) above, an improvement is a relevant improvement if either it was carried out during the tenancy to which the notice relates or the following conditions are satisfied, namely-

(a) that it was carried out not more than twenty-one years before the date of service of the notice; and (b) that, at all times during the period beginning when the improvement was carried out and ending on the date of service of the notice, the dwelling-house has been let under an assured tenancy; and (c) that, on the coming to an end of an assured tenancy at any time during that period, the tenant (or, in the case of joint tenants, at least one of them) did not quit.

(4) In this section "rent" does not include any service charge, within the meaning of section 18 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, but, subject to that, includes any sums payable by the tenant to the landlord on account of the use of furniture, in respect of council tax or for any of the matters referred to in subsection (1) (a) of that section, whether or not those sums are separate from the sums payable for the occupation.

Consideration and valuation

8. The Tribunal is required to determine 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. The personal circumstances of the Tenant are not relevant to this issue.

9. No representations have been received giving guidance as to market rent evidence available. The Tribunal being an Expert Tribunal however may rely on its own knowledge and experience of general rent levels for this type of property and in doing so determines that the rent of £775 per month included in the Notice may be confirmed.

Determination

10. The Tribunal therefore decided that the rent at which the property would be expected to let on the terms of the existing tenancy is £775 per month payable from 25 May 2019 being the date referred to in the Landlord’s notice.

[NAME] (Chairman) [NAME] [NAME] 3 June 2019

PERMISSION TO APPEAL

1. A person wishing to appeal the decision to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) must seek permission to do so by making written application to the First-tier Tribunal at the Regional office which has been dealing with the case.

2. The application must arrive at the Tribunal within 28 days after the Tribunal sends to the person making the application written reasons for the decision.

3. If the person wishing to appeal does not comply with the 28-day time limit, the person shall include with the application for permission to appeal a request for an extension of time and the reason for not complying with the 28-day time limit; the Tribunal will then decide whether to extend time or not to allow the application for permission to appeal to proceed.

4. The application for permission to appeal must identify the decision of the Tribunal to which it relates, state the grounds of appeal, and state the result the party making the application is seeking.