{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/rent-officers-housing-benefit-functions-order-1997/schedule-1/paragraph-1",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/rent-officers-housing-benefit-functions-order-1997/schedule-1/paragraph-1.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1997/1984",
  "legislation_title": "The Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) Order 1997",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/rent-officers-housing-benefit-functions-order-1997",
  "path": "schedule/1/paragraph/1",
  "kind": "paragraph",
  "number": "1",
  "heading": "Significantly high rents",
  "text": "(1) The rent officer shall determine whether, in his opinion, the rent payable under the tenancy of the dwelling at the relevant time is significantly higher than the rent which the landlord might reasonably have been expected to obtain under the tenancy at that time.\n(2) If the rent officer determines under sub-paragraph (1) that the rent is significantly higher, the rent officer shall also determine the rent which the landlord might reasonably have been expected to obtain under the tenancy at the relevant time.\n(3) When making a determination under this paragraph, the rent officer shall have regard to the level of rent under similar tenancies of similar dwellings in the vicinity (or as similar as regards tenancy, dwelling and vicinity as is reasonably practicable) and shall assume that no one who would have been entitled to housing benefit had sought or is seeking the tenancy.\n(4) For the purposes of this paragraph and paragraph 2 “vicinity” means—\n(a) the area immediately surrounding the dwelling; or\n(b) where, for the purposes of sub-paragraph (2)(c) of paragraph 2, there is no dwelling in the area immediately surrounding the dwelling which satisfies the description in heads (i), (ii) and (iii) of that sub-paragraph, the area nearest to the dwelling where there is such a dwelling.",
  "extent": "E+W+S",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Word in Sch. 1 para. 1(3) substituted (6.11.2001) by The Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) (Amendment) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/3561), arts. 1, 2(2)(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Sch. 1 para. 1(4) added (6.11.2001) by The Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) (Amendment) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/3561), arts. 1, 2(2)(b)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1997/1984/schedule/1/paragraph/1",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T11:58:21.166385+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}