Rent Repayment Orders

Rent Repayment Orders are available under the Housing and Planning Act 2016. The original list of trigger offences included:

• Operating a licensable HMO without a licence
• Operating a property subject to a selective or additional licensing scheme without a licence
• Breach of a banning order
• Illegal eviction under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977
• Using violence to secure entry to a property

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 expanded this list significantly to include, among other things, breaching the new obligations around tenancy types and rent increases, and various landlord offences under the reformed regime. Check the current list with Shelter or Citizens Advice, as the expanded grounds are being brought into force alongside the wider reforms.

Importantly, the landlord does not need to have been convicted of the offence by a criminal court — the Tribunal can make its own finding that the offence was committed on the balance of probabilities.

To apply for an RRO, you must apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) within 12 months of the date of the landlord's offence (or the most recent act of the offence if it was continuing). The application must be made on the prescribed form, available from the Tribunal's website.

The Tribunal will consider:

• Whether the offence was committed (on the balance of probabilities)
• The seriousness of the offence
• The conduct of the landlord and tenant
• The financial circumstances of the landlord

The maximum amount you can recover is 12 months' rent paid during the period in which the offence was committed (or housing benefit if that was what was paid). The Tribunal has discretion and awards vary. NRLA's Research and Policy Hub reports average RRO awards in the range of several thousand pounds.

The Tribunal is designed to be accessible without a lawyer, though advice from Shelter or a housing solicitor on preparing your case is beneficial.

If housing benefit or the housing cost element of Universal Credit was paid directly to the landlord during the period of the offence, the local authority can apply for an RRO to recover those payments. Local authorities have the same 12-month time limit from the date of the offence.

Tenants and local authorities can both apply in relation to the same offence, but the total amount recoverable is still capped at 12 months' rent. In practice, where both have applied, the Tribunal will consider how to divide any award.

If you receive Universal Credit and the housing element is paid to your landlord under Alternative Payment Arrangements, and your landlord commits a qualifying offence, consider speaking to the local council's housing enforcement team — they may bring an RRO application on your behalf.