Rent Repayment Order
An order under Housing and Planning Act 2016 requiring a landlord to repay up to 12 months' rent to a tenant or local authority where the landlord has committed certain housing offences including operating an unlicensed HMO.
Independent editorial summary — not the official statute text. Read the official version on legislation.gov.uk.
Rent repayment orders are made by the First-tier Tribunal under Chapter 4 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016. A rent repayment order 'is an order requiring the landlord under a tenancy of housing in England to' repay rent to the tenant, or repay a housing-related universal credit amount to the local authority. The Tribunal may only make an order if it is 'satisfied, beyond reasonable doubt, that a landlord has committed an offence to which this Chapter applies (whether or not the landlord has been convicted).' The qualifying offences listed in the Act include 'control or management of unlicensed HMO' under the Housing Act 2004.
Strict time limits apply. A tenant may only apply in respect of an offence committed in 'the period of 12 months ending with the day on which the application is made,' and the amount recoverable for continuing offences such as operating an unlicensed HMO is capped by reference to 'a period, not exceeding 12 months, during which the landlord was committing the offence' — the source of the 12-month ceiling on repayable rent.
Related terms
Official sources
This explanation is drawn from the official sources below; every substantive statement is verified against them. For advice on a specific matter, see our find help page.