A tribunal can order a landlord to repay rent if they've committed certain offences. Some are easy to fall into by accident, like letting without a licence the council requires. Since 1 May 2026 the maximum has doubled to two years' rent.
Updated 10 November 2026
The essentials
- A rent repayment order (RRO) is made by the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). It orders a landlord to pay back rent to a tenant, or to the council for rent paid through Housing Benefit or Universal Credit.
- For offences from 1 May 2026, a tenant can claim up to two years' rent and has two years from the offence to apply. For earlier offences the limits are one year's rent and one year to apply.
- You don't need to have been convicted or fined. The tenant has to prove the offence to the tribunal beyond reasonable doubt.
- The tenant can apply after moving out, and you can't evict a tenant for applying.
Work it out for your property. Checklist and renewal reminders · When can I raise the rent?
The offences that can lead to an RRO
- Letting an HMO without a licence the council requires.
- Letting a house without a licence under a selective licensing scheme.
- Not complying with an improvement notice.
- Not complying with a prohibition order.
- Illegal eviction or harassment of a tenant.
- Using or threatening violence to get in.
- Breaching a banning order.
- Knowingly or recklessly misusing a possession ground.
- Re-letting or marketing a property within 12 months of evicting a tenant to move in or to sell.
- Continuous breach of certain Renters' Rights Act tenancy rules.
The landlord database adds two more. From the day your region opens, tenants can apply for an RRO if a landlord knowingly or recklessly gives false information to the database, or repeatedly breaches its rules. See our landlord database guide for your region's dates.
Licensing is the one most landlords trip over, because schemes are set by each council and change every few years. Check yours with our London licensing checker, or search your council's name and "landlord licensing scheme".
Who can be ordered to pay
- The landlord, including a company landlord, and a director or manager of that company.
- A superior landlord in a rent-to-rent arrangement, even if the tenant paid rent to someone else.
- If several people are found to have committed the offence, each can be made to pay the full amount (joint and several liability).
- Letting and managing agents can't be named in an RRO. Using an agent doesn't move the responsibility off you, though the tribunal may reduce the amount if you show the agent was at fault.
How the tribunal decides the amount
The tribunal starts from the rent paid for the period of the offence, up to the maximum, then looks at:
- The landlord's conduct, good or bad, including the state of the property and how you handled problems.
- The tenant's conduct, such as rent arrears or damage.
- Past enforcement: any conviction, fine or earlier RRO for these offences.
If you've already been convicted or fined for the same offence, or had enforcement action for it before, the tribunal must order the maximum unless there are exceptional circumstances. Rent paid by Housing Benefit or Universal Credit isn't repaid to the tenant, but the council can claim it.
For ongoing offences such as letting without a licence, the claim covers rent for the period the offence lasted, up to two years. For one-off offences, such as an illegal eviction, it covers rent in the two years up to the offence.
How to make sure it never happens to you
- Check licensing for every property, and again whenever a council consults on or renews a scheme. If one is needed, apply straight away: a properly made application is a defence while the council considers it.
- Act on council notices straight away and keep a record of the work done.
- Register on the landlord database in your region's window, and keep the details accurate.
- Never use a possession ground you don't intend to follow through. After using the moving-in or selling ground, don't re-let or market the property for 12 months.
- Keep certificates in date. Our compliance checklist can put every renewal in your calendar.
Questions landlords ask
What is a rent repayment order?
An order from the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) making a landlord pay back rent because they committed certain housing offences, such as letting without a required licence or illegally evicting a tenant.
How much rent can a landlord be ordered to repay?
For offences from 1 May 2026, up to two years' rent paid by the tenant. For earlier offences, up to one year. The tribunal sets the amount based on the conduct of both sides and any past enforcement, and must order the maximum for a repeat offence unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Does a landlord have to be convicted for a rent repayment order?
No. The tenant must prove the offence beyond reasonable doubt at the tribunal, but the landlord doesn't need to have been convicted or fined.
How long does a tenant have to apply?
Two years from the offence for offences from 1 May 2026, or one year for earlier offences. Tenants can apply after they've moved out.
Can an RRO be made against a letting agent?
No. It can be made against the landlord, a superior landlord, or a director or manager of a company landlord, but not against a letting or managing agent.
Is not registering on the landlord database an RRO offence?
Knowingly or recklessly giving false information to the database, or repeatedly breaching its rules, can lead to an RRO from the day your region's registration opens.