What is Rent Repayment Order (RRO)?

Full Definition

A Rent Repayment Order (RRO) is an order made by the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) requiring a landlord who has committed one of a defined list of housing offences to repay rent already paid by the tenant, or housing benefit or Universal Credit housing element already paid on the tenant's behalf, up to a maximum of 12 months' worth. The offences that can trigger an RRO include operating an unlicensed house in multiple occupation (HMO) or unlicensed property under a selective licensing scheme, illegal eviction or harassment of a tenant, failing to comply with an improvement notice or a prohibition order, breaching an overcrowding notice, and, since the Housing and Planning Act 2016 extended the regime, using violence to secure entry to a property. Either the tenant who paid the rent or, where the rent was covered by Universal Credit or Housing Benefit, the local council can apply for an RRO, and an application must generally be made within 12 months of the offence being committed (or, for a continuing offence like operating without a licence, within 12 months of it ending). The Tribunal decides both whether the offence is proven -- to the criminal standard of beyond reasonable doubt, since these are genuinely criminal offences even though pursued through a civil tribunal process -- and, if proven, how much of the maximum 12 months' rent should actually be repaid, taking into account factors such as the landlord's conduct, financial circumstances, and any previous convictions for housing offences. Worked example: a tenant living in an unlicensed large HMO for 18 months, paying £700 a month, discovers the landlord never obtained the mandatory HMO licence and applies to the Tribunal for an RRO; because the maximum repayment is capped at 12 months' rent even though the tenant paid for 18 months, the maximum the Tribunal could award is £8,400, though the actual amount awarded may be lower depending on the landlord's culpability and circumstances -- and a landlord found to have committed the offence also risks a separate civil penalty from the council of up to £30,000 or criminal prosecution, on top of the RRO itself.

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