Tenants win legal case against landlord over rise in rent for home with ‘bare floorboards’ and ‘leaking waste pipes’

A landlord wanting to increase the rent of his two-bedroom house in Ashley Down by a third has lost his case after a tribunal heard the property had internal damp, bare floorboards and leaking waste pipes.

Paul Claridge had initially told his two tenants that he was to increase their monthly rent of their terraced house in Bromley Road from £1,050 to £1,400 in October.

But the pair said the rise in rent was unfair and referred the case to a Government first-tier tribunal hearing to determine the rent based on market value and the condition of the home.

The case heard from the landlord who claimed the market value for similar homes in the area was between £1,250 and £1,500. He also said that he had refurbished the property two years.

However, that claim was disputed by the tenants who had been at the address since 2015 and said it had been refurbished more than six years ago.

The pair also raised issues at the property such as dampness of internal walls, peeling and cracked decorations, bare floorboards with nail sticking up, leaking waste pipes and an usable garden area.

A report from the tribunal said: “It is apparent that there is an ongoing dispute between the landlord and tenants.”

The tribunal members decided that the property ‘might reasonably by expected’ to be rented for £1,350 a month on the open market - but due to its present condition and the tenants using their own white goods, curtains and floor coverings, that amount was brought down to £1,100 a month.

The tribunal outcome was welcomed by community union ACORN, which works alongside campaign group Rent Fair Bristol to support tenants facing hikes in rents across the city.

The two groups took part in a ‘Renters’ Summit’ organised by Bristol City Council this week, where the idea of rent control was discussed amid the soaring cost of rent in the area.

The city council says private rents in the city have increased by 52% in the past decade, while wages have only risen by 24%.

Arvind Howarth, communications officer at ACORN, said: “We applaud this tenant for exercising their legal rights and congratulate them on this successful outcome.

“Runaway rents are a huge issue in Bristol, with many tenants being priced out of communities they have lived in for years.”

Mr Howarth said ACORN was calling for local authorities to have the power to impose rent controls, with the potential for this to also limit in-tenancy rent rises.

However, according to Bristol mayor Marvin Rees there could be some way to go until that is brought in.

Mr Howard added: “We welcome the attention this crucial issue is generating, including at this week’s online renters’ summit that we co-hosted.

“We have campaigned for years for renters to have common-sense protections so that we are not simply subject to prices set by profit-hungry landlords, and hopefully this is a step nearer today.“

“While this result is good news for the tenant involved, we know that the process of challenging rent rises can be long, complicated and often doesn’t find in the tenants’ favour.

“We encourage renters to join the union, ACORN, so they have support if this happens to them, and to get behind a movement campaigning for fairer rents and better conditions across the country.”

Have you been served with hike in rent from your landlord? Would you be happy to share your story? Let us know by emailing hello@bristolworld.com