What is a Rent Repayment Order?
A Rent Repayment Order (RRO) is an order made by the First-tier Tribunal requiring a landlord to repay rent where a qualifying housing offence has been committed. For qualifying offences committed on or after 1 May 2026, the maximum amount recoverable may be up to 24 months’ rent.
You may be able to apply for an RRO if, for example:
- the property should have been licensed but was not
- the landlord failed to comply with an Improvement Notice or Prohibition Order
- you were unlawfully evicted or harassed
- the landlord used violence to secure entry
From 1 May 2026, additional offences can also give rise to an RRO. These include certain offences, such as misuse of a possession ground and certain tenancy reform breaches.
How much can be recovered?
The maximum amount that may be recovered depends on when the offence was committed.
For qualifying offences committed before 1 May 2026, the previous rules apply and the maximum amount recoverable will generally be up to 12 months’ rent.
For qualifying offences committed on or after 1 May 2026, the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 increases the maximum amount recoverable to up to 24 months’ rent.
Why do RROs exist?
Quite simply, too many landlords break the law. It is not right that tenants should suffer so that landlords can make more money.
Rent Repayment Orders exist to:
- compensate tenants who have been put at risk
- strip out the profit made from unlawful conduct
- punish landlords who break the law
- deter the same behaviour from happening again
- recognise the impact of poor conditions and bad property management
How Justice For Tenants can help
Justice For Tenants is widely recognised as the most successful and has extensive experience supporting tenants with Rent Repayment Order cases.
The RRO Team has:
- Assisted thousands of tenants with Rent Repayment Orders
- Can assist with all Tribunal fees on behalf of all tenants
- Delivered Rent Repayment Order training to hundreds of government and local authority staff
- Presented knowledge modules for tenants’ unions and tenant rights organisations
- Provided training on RROs to the Mayor’s Greater London Assembly team.
It is for this reason that local councils, deposit schemes, The Property Ombudsman, law centres, tenant unions, university law centres and many more organisations refer tenants to Justice For Tenants.
Justice For Tenants has an extremely high success rate. We will assist you in getting the money you are owed if the landlord tries to avoid paying.
Get in touch
If you think you may be able to apply for a Rent Repayment Order, please contact us using our contact form.
The RRO Team will freely share their experience, knowledge and advice to help you bring your Rent Repayment Order. Justice For Tenants can also carry out all aspects of the Rent Repayment Order for you and pay any Tribunal Fees on your behalf.
Detailed information to ensure success and the maximum rent awarded
An RRO may be available where a landlord has committed one of the qualifying offences. These include:
- section 72(1) of the Housing Act 2004 – control or management of an unlicensed HMO
- section 95(1) of the Housing Act 2004 – control or management of an unlicensed property requiring a selective licence
- section 30(1) of the Housing Act 2004 – failure to comply with an Improvement Notice
- section 32(1) of the Housing Act 2004 – failure to comply with a Prohibition Order
- sections 1(2), (3) or (3A) of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 – unlawful eviction or harassment of occupiers
- section 6(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977 – using violence to secure entry
- section 21 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 – breach of a Banning Order
For offences committed on or after 1 May 2026, additional qualifying offences also include:
- section 16J(1) of the Housing Act 1988 – knowingly or recklessly misusing a possession ground
- section 16J(2) of the Housing Act 1988 – letting or marketing a property within 12 months of using the moving-in or selling ground
- section 16J(3) of the Housing Act 1988 – continuous breach of certain tenancy reform requirements
Who can be named as the respondent depends on the facts of the case and on when the offence was committed.
For offences committed before 1 May 2026, the previous legal position applies. In most cases, the correct respondent will be the immediate landlord only. This is usually the person or company named as landlord on the tenancy agreement.
For offences committed on or after 1 May 2026, the law is broader. It may be possible to apply against any or all landlords in the chain who are said to have committed the offence, ncluding both the immediate landlord and a superior landlord. If the Tribunal makes an RRO against more than one landlord, they may be held jointly and severally liable for the full amount.
If the landlord is a company, it may also be appropriate to consider naming the company’s directors, managers or senior officers, where the legal test for doing so is met
Responsibility for a licensing offence will depend on the facts. The Tribunal may need to consider who was managing the property, who was receiving the rent, who had legal control over the letting arrangement, and whether the immediate landlord, any superior landlord, or any other relevant respondent falls within the statutory categories for the offence.
If rent was collected directly from the occupiers, or through an agent on behalf of a landlord, that may be relevant to showing said person was managing the property. In rent-to-rent cases, it may also be relevant to consider whether the immediate landlord and any superior landlord may each be responsible for the breach.
Under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, it may now be possible to apply against any or all landlords in the chain if it is said that they committed the offence. If the Tribunal finds that more than one respondent committed the offence, they may be jointly and severally liable for the full amount of the RRO.
Because these issues can be technical, it is often important to look carefully at the tenancy agreement, any superior lease or management arrangement, Land Registry documents, rent flows, Companies House records, and any correspondence showing who was actually operating the property. Obtaining and analysing these crucial documents is something that JFT can assist with.
The Tribunal decides the amount of any RRO award. Relevant issues may include:
- the seriousness of the offence
- the landlord’s conduct
- the tenant’s conduct
- the evidence available about the circumstances of the case
- whether the landlord has previously been convicted of, or received a financial penalty for, the same offence
Evidence of poor landlord conduct may include, for example, failing to deal with serious repairs, fire-safety problems, damp and mould, or failing to provide important tenancy documents. The Tribunal will look at the evidence as a whole when deciding what amount, if any, should be awarded.