Rent repayment order (RRO)
An order of the First-tier Tribunal that a landlord repay rent to a tenant, or benefits to the council, because the landlord committed certain housing offences.
In short: A rent repayment order requires a landlord to pay back rent when they have committed certain offences, such as illegal eviction, harassment or letting an unlicensed property. Tenants or councils apply to the First-tier Tribunal. Since 1 May 2026 the maximum is two years' rent and orders can be made against superior landlords.
適用於租客Licensing and registration
英格蘭。 已於 5 October 2026 對照法律查核. 僅供參考，並非法律建議。
The rules are in Part 2, Chapter 4 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016, amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
Offences that can lead to an RRO include:
- illegal eviction or harassment;
- letting an HMO or a home that should be licensed without a licence;
- not complying with an improvement notice or prohibition order;
- breaching a banning order;
- some of the new offences under the Renters' Rights Act.
The tribunal must be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the offence was committed; a conviction is not needed. Repeat offenders face the maximum.
Read more: The landlord database, the ombudsman, and licensing: checks you can make
Related: First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), Civil penalty, Illegal eviction
資料來源
Guides on this
Guide
Do I need a licence to let my property? HMO, additional and selective licensing
Five or more people from two or more households need a mandatory HMO licence. Your council may also license smaller HMOs, or every let in an area. How to check, and what happens without one.
Guide
The landlord database and ombudsman: when you must register
The Private Rented Sector Database opens region by region from 15 December 2026, and the landlord ombudsman follows. Every landlord in England will need an entry for each property before letting or advertising it.
Related terms
Glossary
Additional licensing
A council scheme that requires licences for smaller HMOs, below the mandatory threshold, in a designated area.
Glossary
Civil penalty
A fine a council can impose on a landlord or agent instead of prosecuting, for breaches of housing law such as letting an unlicensed HMO or ignoring an improvement notice.
Glossary
Deposit cap
The most a landlord in England can take as a tenancy deposit: five weeks' rent where the annual rent is under £50,000, six weeks' at £50,000 or more.
Glossary
First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)
The tribunal that decides many housing disputes in England: challenged rent increases, rent repayment orders, banned fees, licensing appeals and leasehold service charges.
Glossary
Fitness for human habitation
The legal requirement that a rented home is fit to live in at the start and throughout the tenancy, which tenants can enforce themselves in court.
Glossary
Harassment of a tenant
Acts by a landlord or anyone for them that are likely to interfere with a tenant's peace or comfort, meant to make them leave or stop using their rights. A criminal offence.