The property is a two-bedroom flat on the second floor of a brick-built block in Gidea Park, Essex, let on a monthly assured tenancy that began in November 2022. The existing rent was £1,450 a month. In December 2025 the landlord served a notice proposing £1,560 a month from 5 February 2026, a rise of £110. The tenants referred the notice to the tribunal. They argued the market rent was £1,350 and pointed to damp and unresolved repair problems. They also said the notice was invalid, which the tribunal rejected.
The tribunal decided the case on the papers, with no hearing or inspection. It considered the tenants' online valuation searches and the landlord's three comparable listings, and gave weight to a two-bedroom flat in the same postcode quoted at £1,450. It put the rent at £1,475 for the flat in good order, then deducted £25 for no curtains and a damp-affected blind and £50 for disrepair and wear and tear. It set the rent at £1,400 a month from 5 February 2026, £50 below the existing rent.
The landlord's comparables were all available from July 2026, months after the February 2026 valuation date, and the tribunal valued the flat as it was on that date, disregarding later repairs. A landlord planning a rent review should gather comparable lettings from around the proposed start date. They should also deal with reported damp and repair problems before serving the notice, because unresolved items can lead to deductions from the rent a tribunal would otherwise set.
What the tribunal relied on
- The tribunal gave weight to a comparable two-bedroom flat in the same postcode quoted at £1,450 a month.
- It valued the flat at £1,475 a month in good order, before any deductions.
- It deducted £25 a month for no curtains and a blind damaged by damp.
- It deducted £50 a month for disrepair, deterioration and wear and tear, and disregarded repairs made after the valuation date.