The property is a second-floor flat in a purpose-built modern block in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. It has a living room/kitchen, two bedrooms, a bathroom with wc and a single allocated car space. The assured tenancy began in April 2025 at £1,550 a month. In February 2026 the landlord's agent served a notice proposing £1,850 a month from 14 April 2026. In March 2026 the tenant referred the notice to the tribunal. The landlord was responsible for repairs and the tenant for council tax.
The tribunal relied on its own expert knowledge of local rents, comparables from the landlord's agent, and three identical flats in the development advertised at £1,400 and £1,450 a month. It put the market rent of the flat, modernised and in good order, at £1,400 a month. It then deducted £20 for old carpets and £50 for wants of repair, including damp, the extractor fan, the dishwasher and the curtain rail. The tribunal set the rent at £1,330 a month, which is £220 below the existing rent. The tenant made no hardship case, so the new rent took effect on 14 April 2026.
A landlord planning a rent review should check what identical flats in the same building are being advertised at, because the tribunal gave those figures real weight. Outstanding repairs also matter, as the tribunal deducted for condition from its starting figure. In this case the landlord made no submissions, so the tribunal worked from the tenant's evidence about condition and the comparables it already had. Dealing with repairs before serving a notice, and sending evidence to the tribunal, may help a landlord's position.
What the tribunal relied on
- Three identical flats in the development were advertised at £1,400 and £1,450 a month.
- The tribunal put the market rent in good order at £1,400 a month, using its own expert knowledge and the agent's comparables.
- It deducted £20 for old carpets and £50 for wants of repair including damp, extractor fan, dishwasher and curtain rail.
- The landlord did not provide any submissions to the tribunal.