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Tenants claiming a rent refund from a private landlord lost their case because the local council had bungled the landlord's online licence application.
K and L rented a two-bedroom maisonette in Sylvan Avenue, Haringey, North London, for £1,950 a month.
The landlord's agent, handled the home's rental and rent collection.
K and L applied for a rent repayment order for £3,397, complaining that the agent had failed to apply for a selective licence for the property and taking issue with how he had managed the property.
The agent told the First Tier Property Tribunal that he had attempted to apply for a selective licence on several occasions before the start of the tenancy, but experienced multiple failures of Haringey's Property Licensing website.
He had even sent an email to Haringey's Property Licensing website asking for someone to contact him, as the website was not working.
Judge Lorna Tagliavini found that a valid licence application had been made but faced repeated problems with the website that were beyond his control. The tribunal decided the case was not proved and rejected the claim for rent repayment.
The First Tier Property Tribunal ordered landlord Patricia Stanbrook to pay a rent repayment order of £3,939 for making a tenant live in a shared house in 'significant disrepair'.
The tribunal heard that Lowell Miller rented a room in the house for £575 a month.
The property was located on Hebron Road, Bedminster, Bristol, a selective-licensing neighbourhood, but held no licence.
Millar complained the house had water leaking through damaged walls and a yard used as a dumping ground for rubbish.
Millar had asked the court for £6,900 compensation for rent paid, but the tribunal felt the offence was less serious than many others and also deducted the cost of utilities and council tax included in the rent.
Renter Stephanie Webster claimed a £22,650 rent repayment for suffering an illegal eviction, but the First Tier Property Tribunal found no evidence she had been thrown out of her home.
Webster rented a basement flat in Hatton Garden, London, which she left after the landlord, H Company 2, served a Section 21 no-fault possession notice.
The landlord repossessed the flat after she had left, taking all her belongings with her. He called a locksmith to gain entry and replace the locks, as she had not returned the flat keys. Webster claimed the landlord had forced entry.
The tribunal accepted the landlord had no reason to believe Webster would return to the flat and dismissed her rent repayment order application.
Webster also made claims about fire and other safety issues, but they were dismissed as the rent repayment legislation did not cover them.