A Rent Repayment Order (RRO) 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 unlicenced property such as a House in multiple occupation (HMO).
Rent Repayment Orders are not obtained through the courts 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 Bill 2015-16 proposes changes to when Rent Repayment Orders can be granted to include the following situations: