What is the success rate of rent repayment orders?
Reviewed by Sean McNamara, 2026-10-07
There is no official published national success rate for rent repayment orders - but tribunal decisions are public, and reading a hundred of them shows a pattern: applications built on documented evidence of a licensing or offence-ground breach succeed; applications built on grievance don't. This page is what the pattern is.
What the tribunal actually weighs
Four levers move outcomes: 1) Proof the ground is made out (the licence register entry, the eviction evidence). 2) Proof YOU paid the rent (bank statements - the order repays rent actually paid). 3) The landlord's conduct and means (mitigation cuts amounts). 4) Timeliness (within 12 months of the offence). Applications with all four read like case-closed; applications missing two read like hope.
Reading published decisions before you apply
Tribunal decisions are searchable and free. Find a handful about YOUR ground in YOUR region; note what evidence the winners had and what the losers lacked. An evening of reading saves months of guessing - and this site's council-register checker tells you whether the licence was in place, which is often the whole ballgame.
Questions this page answers
- What is the success rate of rent repayment orders?
- No official aggregate is published; outcomes depend on evidence quality against one of the statutory grounds. Decisions published by the tribunal show that documented breaches (unlicensed HMO operation, illegal eviction, breach of management regulations) with rent records succeed regularly, while claim-farming style applications with thin evidence fail. Treat anyone quoting a fixed 'success rate' with caution - ask for their basis.
- What are rent repayment orders?
- An order under the Housing and Planning Act 2016 requiring a landlord (or person receiving rent) to repay up to 12 months' rent where they committed a relevant offence - unlicensed HMO operation, illegal eviction, harassment, breach of specific duties. Applications go to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).
- What are the offences associated with a rent repayment order?
- The statutory grounds: operating an unlicensed HMO (where licensing applied), failing to comply with improvement/management regulations, illegal eviction or harassment, breached banning orders, and (for newer provisions) certain unmet duties. Each ground has its own elements - your evidence must match the ground you pick.
- What are the grounds for a rent repayment order?
- See above - the menu of offences. The most common in practice: HMO without a licence and illegal eviction. The tribunal also considers landlord conduct, financial benefit gained, the tenant's vulnerability, and the landlord's record when setting the amount.
- How long do rent repayment orders take?
- Several months is normal: gather evidence, apply, landlord responds, hearing, decision. Delays grow where the landlord contests jurisdiction or the evidence needs a hearing to resolve. Start the clock early - the 12-month limitation period for applying runs from the offence.
Sources and further reading