What is a rent repayment order?

A rent repayment order (RRO) is a court order from the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) requiring your landlord to repay up to 24 months' rent for an offence on or after 1 May 2026 (12 months for an earlier offence). You apply for it when your landlord has committed a relevant housing offence — such as renting an unlicensed property, illegally evicting you, or harassing you. You do not need to prove criminal intent — just that the offence occurred.

How much can I claim?

The maximum award is 24 months' rent for an offence committed on or after 1 May 2026, or 12 months for an offence before that date — the Renters' Rights Act 2025 doubled the previous flat 12-month cap. The tribunal considers the severity of the offence, your landlord's conduct, and your own conduct. For the most serious offences — such as illegal eviction or banning order breach — tribunals tend to award at or near the maximum available for the relevant period.

Do I have to still be living there?

No. You can apply for an RRO even after you have left the property, provided you apply within your application window (Housing and Planning Act 2016, s.41(2)(b), as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025, s.98(3)(a)) — 2 years for offences on or after 1 May 2026, or 12 months for offences before that date. The rent the tribunal orders to be repaid is the rent you actually paid during the period the offence was being committed.

My landlord's property was unlicensed. How do I find out?

Check your local council's website — most publish their lists of licensed properties online. Alternatively, contact the council's private sector housing or licensing team directly. You can also search the national Landlord Database, which has been live since 1 May 2026. If the property required a licence and your landlord did not have one when you were paying rent, you may be entitled to claim that rent back.

Does the landlord have to be convicted of a crime first?

No. An RRO is a civil application to a tribunal — it is separate from any criminal prosecution. You do not need a criminal conviction. However, the tribunal must be satisfied to the criminal standard (beyond reasonable doubt) that the landlord committed the relevant housing offence (Sutton v Norwich CC).

Can my landlord evict me for applying for an RRO?

Not legally. Retaliatory eviction following an RRO application is itself conduct that can be cited in tribunal proceedings and could be grounds for further action. Under the new rules, your landlord also needs a court order to evict you — so they cannot simply serve a notice in retaliation.

Your landlord broke the law. Claim up to 24 months’ rent back.

A rent repayment order is a legal mechanism that lets you recover rent from a landlord who has broken housing law — without needing a solicitor, without a criminal conviction, and without waiting years for the courts. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 doubled the maximum award to 24 months for offences on or after 1 May 2026 (12 months for earlier offences) and added new grounds, making RROs more powerful than ever.

Landlord rents a property without a required licence (HMO or selective licensing area). One of the most common and easiest grounds to prove — RRO applications on this ground are upheld at a high rate.

Landlord unlawfully deprived you of your home — changed locks, removed belongings, cut off utilities — without a court order.

Conduct intended to cause you to leave — threats, repeated unlawful entry, interference with utilities or services.

Landlord failed to comply with an improvement notice or prohibition order issued by the council under the Housing Act 2004.

Landlord continued to rent property while subject to a banning order. Maximum award: 24 months (the full cap) for offences on or after 1 May 2026 — 12 months for earlier offences.

Since 1 May 2026, failure to register on the Landlord Database is a new ground for an RRO under the Renters' Rights Act 2025.

An RRO lets tenants reclaim up to 24 months' rent if their landlord broke housing law. Every ground, how to apply, what you can expect to recover.

How to apply for a Rent Repayment Order

Steps to claim back up to 24 months rent (12 months for offences before 1 May 2026) from a landlord who has broken housing law.

Check you have a qualifying ground

RROs can be awarded where a landlord has let an unlicensed property, carried out illegal eviction, failed to comply with an improvement notice, or committed other specified housing offences. Confirm one applies to your situation.

Collect proof of the offence: licensing register screenshots, council enforcement records, police reports, tenancy agreement, rent payment records, and correspondence with the landlord.

Complete the tribunal application

Apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) using the online portal. The application fee is £114, plus £227 if a hearing is listed. You can apply as a current or former tenant, within your application window (2 years for offences on or after 1 May 2026, 12 months before that).

Serve the application on the landlord

The tribunal will direct you to serve the application on your landlord. Keep proof of service (recorded post or email with read receipt).

Prepare a witness statement setting out the facts chronologically. The tribunal will decide the award based on the seriousness of the offence, your financial circumstances, and the landlord's conduct.

Rent Repayment Order Guide

Up to 24 months’ rent — extended May 2026

Your landlord broke the law.

Claim up to 24 months’ rent back.

You apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). If you win, your landlord must pay. The process is designed to be accessible — and Start My Claim handles the paperwork.

Six reasons you can apply.

Apply within your application window

Under section 41(2)(b) of the Housing and Planning Act 2016, as amended by section 98(3)(a) of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, you must apply within 2 years of the date the offence was committed if that was on or after 1 May 2026. For an offence before that date the old 12-month window still applies, because the change is not retrospective (saving provision in SI 2026/421, reg. 11). For a continuing offence (like unlicensed letting that runs over many months), the clock runs from the date the offence stopped — usually when the landlord obtained the licence, or when you moved out. The 24-month figure is the MAX AWARD for an offence on or after 1 May 2026 (12 months for an earlier offence) — the rent the tribunal can order repaid for the period the offence was committed — and it is not a deadline. Don’t conflate the two clocks.

The RRO process — step by step.

Gather your evidence

You need: your tenancy agreement, rent payment records (bank statements), evidence of the offence (e.g. council records showing no licence, correspondence, photographs), and your landlord's identity and address.

Start My Claim prepares your application

Our process collects your details, generates a completed tribunal application (Form RRO1), drafts your witness statement, and compiles your evidence bundle — all in one session.

File at the First-tier Tribunal

The application is filed at the Property Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal. The application fee is £114, plus £227 if a hearing is listed. Help with Fees may reduce or waive these fees if you qualify. Your landlord is served with a copy and has 28 days to respond.

A panel of one or three members considers your evidence and your landlord's response. Hearings are usually in person but can be by video. You can attend and present your case without a solicitor.

If the tribunal upholds your application, it orders your landlord to repay between 1 and 24 months of rent for an offence on or after 1 May 2026 (up to 12 months for an earlier offence). The order is legally enforceable — if your landlord does not pay, you can instruct bailiffs.

Ready to claim your rent back?

Start My Claim prepares your complete RRO application, witness statement, and evidence bundle for the First-tier Tribunal. Fixed fee £269. No solicitor needed.

Rent repayment orders — FAQ

Sources: Housing and Planning Act 2016, Part 2 ss.40–52 (rent repayment order regime) · Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (c.26), provisions extending the regime (24-month maximum, new qualifying offences) · Housing Act 2004, Parts 2–3 (licensing) · First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Rules 2013 · MHCLG: The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026

Not legal advice. Start My Claim is document-assembly software, not a law firm. This guide is general information only — for advice on your situation, consult a qualified housing solicitor, Shelter, or Citizens Advice.