Housing (Scotland) Act 1988

25 Determination of rent by rent assessment committee. S

(1) Where, under subsection (3)(a) of section 24 above, a tenant refers to a rent assessment committee a notice under subsection (1) of that section, the committee shall determine the rent at which, subject to subsections (2) and (3) below, the committee consider that the house might reasonably be expected to be let in the open market by a willing landlord under an assured tenancy—

(a) which begins at the beginning of the period to which the new rent specified in the notice relates;

(b) the terms of which (other than those relating to rent) are the same as those of the tenancy to which the notice relates; and

(c) in respect of which the same notices, if any, have been given under any of Grounds 1 to 5 of Schedule 5 to this Act, as have been given (or have effect as if given) in relation to the tenancy to which the notice relates.

(2) In making a determination under this section, there shall be disregarded any effect on the rent attributable to—

(a) the granting of a tenancy to a sitting tenant;

(b) an improvement carried out by the tenant or a predecessor in title of his unless the improvement was carried out in pursuance of the terms of the tenancy; and

(c) a failure by the tenant to comply with any terms of the tenancy.

(3) In this section “rent” includes any sums payable by the tenant to the landlord on account of the use of furniture or for services [F1 or in respect of council tax], whether or not those sums are separate from the sums payable for the occupation of the house concerned or are payable under separate agreements.

(4) Where any rates in respect of the house concerned are borne by the landlord or a superior landlord, the rent assessment committee shall make their determination under this section as if the rates were not so borne.

(5) In any case where—

(a) a rent assessment committee have before them at the same time the reference of a notice under section 17(2) above relating to a tenancy (in this subsection referred to as “the section 17 reference”) and the reference of a notice under section 24(1) above relating to the same tenancy (in this subsection referred to as “the section 24 reference”); and

(b) the date specified in the notice under section 17(2) above is not later than the first day of the new period specified in the notice under section 24(1) above; and

(c) the committee propose to hear the two references together,

the committee shall make a determination in relation to the section 17 reference before making their determination in relation to the section 24 reference and, accordingly, in such a case the reference in subsection (1)(b) above to the terms of the tenancy to which the notice relates shall be construed as a reference to those terms as varied by virtue of the determination made in relation to the section 17 reference.

(6) Where a notice under section 24(1) above has been referred to a rent assessment committee, then, unless the landlord and the tenant otherwise agree, the rent determined by the committee (together with, in a case where subsection (4) above applies, the appropriate amount in respect of rates) shall be the rent under the tenancy with effect from the beginning of the period to which the new rent specified in the notice relates or, if it appears to the rent assessment committee that that would cause undue hardship to the tenant, with effect from such date as the committee may direct (being a date after the beginning of that period but not after the date when the committee determined the rent).

(7) Nothing in this section requires a rent assessment committee to continue with their determination of a rent for a house if the tenancy has been brought to an end by order of the sheriff under this Part of this Act or if the landlord and tenant give notice in writing that they no longer require such a determination.

(8) Nothing in this section or section 24 above affects the right of the landlord and the tenant under an assured tenancy to vary by agreement any term of the tenancy (including a term relating to rent).

Annotations:

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Amendments (Textual)

F1 Words in s. 25(3) inserted (1.4.1993) by S.I. 1993/658, art. 2, Sch. 1 para.9