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A Rent Repayment Order is an order in the United Kingdom that allows a tenant or local authority to reclaim rent or housing benefit where a landlord rents out an unlicensed property such as a House in multiple occupation.
Rent Repayment Orders are not obtained through the court's system but through a Residential Property Tribunal. Housing academic David Cowan writing in Housing Law and Policy cites the case Newham London Borough Council v Ring to demonstrate that a local authority can use a rent repayment order to reclaim housing benefit. Local authorities can only apply for a Rent Repayment Order where occupiers pay their rent with the assistance of housing benefit.
The Housing and Planning Act 2016 has changed when Rent Repayment Orders can be granted to include the following situations:
In addition, tenants under the new Act can apply for an RRO directly without the need for a prior conviction of the landlord through prosecution by a Local Authority. LAs have prosecuted on average only one landlord per year for such offences. LAs have the power to impose unlimited fines or bring criminal charges. Fines for the above offences may be kept by the LA to fund enforcement in these areas.