How the Rent Assessment Committee sets a market rent

The Rent Assessment Committee will attempt to fix a rent for your home. It can only do this if there are enough Assured or Assured Shorthold tenancies in your area with which to make a comparison. It will set your rent based on the rents being charged for the other similar tenancies.

It will also decide the date that this new rent should apply. This will always be after the date when you applied for the rent to be assessed.

Factors that the Committee should ignore when fixing a rent

• It should ignore anything to do with the personal circumstances of you or the landlord
• It should ignore any increase in value to the property due to improvements that you have made
• It should ignore any decrease in value due to damage you have done
• It should not include an amount for Water Rates. If your rent includes Water Rates, this should be ignored. However, your landlord can then add a reasonable amount for water rates on top of the rent set by the Rent Assessment Committee
• It should not include an amount for other "variable" service charges. You may still have to pay these on top of the rent set by the Committee. The Rent Assessment Committee does not have the power to decide if these service charges are reasonable or not.

Factors that the Committee can include when fixing a rent:

• If your landlord is responsible for paying the Council Tax because you live in a "House in Multiple Occupation," the Committee will allow a reasonable proportion of that bill as part of your rent
• They can include in the rent a figure for the use of any furniture provided by the landlord
• They can include in the rent a figure for service charges for repair, maintenance, insurance and management costs, but no other service charges.

Point to Consider

The Rent Assessment Committee can put your rent up as well as down. It's a good idea to have a look at market rents for similar properties and get advice before you apply to the Committee.

Once the Rent Assessment Committee has set a rent:

The landlord cannot charge more than the set rent.

The landlord cannot increase the rent again until at least one year later.

• Council of the Isles of Scilly
• Town Hall
• St Mary's
• Isles of Scilly
• TR21 0LW
• Tel: 01720 422537
• Fax: 01720 424017
• Email: enquiries@scilly.gov.uk >

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