Flat 16 Principal Court, Firs Lane, Smethwick, West Midlands, B67 6EL
BIR/00CS/MNR/2026/0052 · Sandwell · decided 27 May 2026
old rules| Rent before the notice | £795 |
|---|---|
| Rent the landlord proposed | £825 |
| Rent the tribunal decided | £825 +3.8% on the rent before |
| New rent takes effect | 25 Mar 2026 |
| Date of the landlord's notice | 12 Jan 2026 |
| Rules | Old rules (notice dated before 1 May 2026): the tribunal could also set a rent higher than the landlord's figure. |
| Property | flat, 2 bedrooms |
Rents per calendar month as the tribunal recorded them (weekly rents × 52 ÷ 12). Read from the PDF automatically.
From the tribunal's valuation
DEaling first with the disputed tenancy. The tenant maintains that she has been in occupation since 25th September 2019. However, the only tenancy attached to her application is dated 25th February 2025. The Landlord, through its agent, maintain that the tenant has only ever had 1 tenancy agreement which was dated 25th February 2025. They do not state however, that the tenant was not in occupation before the current tenancy. It is possible that the tenant had previously occupied under a different managing agent. Notwithstanding, the correct date of commencement is not directly relevant to determining this application. … The tenant refers to a replacement carpet. No evidence is submitted of purchase. Further, there is no evidence of a request to the Landlord for its replacement. By reference to the photographs submitted of each room, all flooring appears to be of a ‘laminated type’ and therefore it is difficult to identify where a replacement carpet may have been placed or indeed required. On balance therefore, any cost associated with a replacement carpet is dismissed. … The photographs depicting the condition of the flat are relevant and have been considered by the Tribunal. …
An extract. To keep people's names out, any sentence that might contain one is left out (marked …). The full reasons are in the original decision.
The original
Past decisions are not a prediction. Each tribunal decides on the evidence in front of it.