§ Ms BuckTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what was the percentage of rent determinations made by the Rent Service where the appropriate rent was in excess of the local reference rent in(a) England and Wales and (b) Scotland, in each of the last three years; [133263]
1996 1997 1998 11999 Rent officer determinations where property specific rent (PSR) was greater than the local reference rent (LRR)2 40.0 43.5 43.3 43.1 Rent officer determinations where appropriate rent (AR) was greater than the local reference rent (LRR)2 35.9 38.9 38.2 37.9 Average rent restriction where appropriate rent (AR) was greater than the local reference rent (LRR)3 7.58 7.16 6.91 6.71 1 First quarter of 1999. 2 Percentage of. 3 £ per week. Source:
Rent Officer Statistics,Publised quarterly by DETR
The Property Specific Rent (PSR) is the Rent Officer's initial determination before taking into account other circumstances which culminate in the determination of an appropriate rent for the property: whether the landlord's referred rent is exceptionally high or whether the property is too large compared with the number of occupants.
Rent determinations for different local authorities are not published. A breakdown by rent officer area can be produced, but not within the time available. I will write separately with these figures as soon as possible.