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I challenged the £1,350 rent on my bungalow and pointed Dewhurst towards directly comparable neighbouring properties.<br><br>They insisted £1,350 was correct and defended that position before an independent Tribunal.<br><br>They LOST!<br><br>The Tribunal determined the rent at £1,200 per month.<br><br>What makes the whole situation even more ridiculous is that I tried to resolve the rent issue directly beforehand. Dewhurst had every opportunity to deal with it sensibly and chose not to.<br><br>In my view, the way this was handled was both unprofessional and incompetent - and the attached Tribunal determination speaks for itself.<br><br>Would I rent through Dewhurst again? Absolutely not.<br><br>If you rent through Dewhurst, check the local market carefully and make sure you are not being overcharged.<br><br>P.S. Dewhurst’s response below conveniently rewrites the sequence of events. Before I applied to the Tribunal, I had already asked Dewhurst to reduce the rent to £1,200 based on the neighbouring comparables. They refused to resolve it, so I exercised my right to apply to the Tribunal.<br><br>Their response also makes much of the fact that I had originally agreed to £1,350. The Tribunal itself recorded that Dewhurst knew I was relocating urgently for a new job, that I asked whether the rent could be negotiated and that this was refused. It expressly said my acceptance of £1,350 should not, by itself, be treated as evidence that £1,350 represented the open market rent.<br><br>And yes, I later proposed £1,000. I’m not the letting agent claiming expert knowledge of the local rental market. Dewhurst were the professionals insisting £1,350 was correct.<br><br>The Tribunal determined £1,200. Dewhurst lost.... Read more
24th Sep 2026 (5 weeks ago)