3rd
Mar 2021
A London council is obviously proud of its new initiative which it is describing as “an innovative project” to support renters to successfully reclaim rent from landlords who have broken licensing regulations.
Tower Hamlets council says that its project the Rent Repayment Order has already helped tenants reclaim more than £200,00 from landlords who have failed to licence their properties correctly before housing tenants.
The scheme also covers other landlord offences such as causing physical harm to tenants or threatening violence in order to gain access to tenants’ ‘homes’. No fault evictions, failure to carry out work under improvement notices, harassment or prohibition orders also come under the scheme’s remit.
67 tenants have successfully reclaimed back from landlords a total of £201,965 since the scheme’s introduction in April 2019.
When a Rent Repayment Order is issued it requires a landlord/agent who is found guilty of an offence under the project’s scheme to repay the rent taken from the tenant (s), however for an RPO to be issued it must first be judged by a tribunal whether an offence has been committed beyond a reasonable doubt; this is irrespective of whether an agent/landlord has been convicted.
The highest amount of a Rent Repayment Order awarded to one tenant is £9,000.
The largest amount awarded to nine tenants who lived in one property at different times which was not licensed was £55,000 as it housed eight tenants which required a compulsory HMO licence.
John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, says: ‘’As a council we want to do everything we can to make sure tenants are not exploited by unscrupulous landlords. I’m pleased we brought in this scheme and that’s its already made a real difference to residents in the private rented sector.”
A cabinet member for planning on the council, councillor Eve McQuillan, adds: “All tenants deserve safe and secure homes. Where landlords fail in their responsibilities to tenants, we will use our powers, including RROs, to stand up for residents and make sure they are safe from exploitation and unsafe flats.”
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