A government plan to widen Rent Repayment Orders (RROs) to 41 English councils will allow local authorities to reclaim up to 24 months of rent from landlords, doubling the previous limit. Ministers say the move, enabled by the Renters’ Right Act, will protect roughly 400,000 households receiving housing support – but landlords warn it risks punishing the compliant majority.
RRO expansion and what it means for landlords
Under the expansion, councils gain streamlined access to Universal Credit data to speed up RRO applications. According to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the data-sharing model was tested in Camden, where the council expects to recover nearly £100,000 and has issued a fraud referral.
Traditionally, RROs target landlords operating without a licence, ignoring improvement notices, or allowing poor property conditions to persist. But landlord groups argue that enforcement is uneven, leaving responsible operators to absorb higher admin and compliance costs.
The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has previously cautioned that RRO frameworks often fail to distinguish between genuine non-compliance and procedural missteps, especially in boroughs with complex licensing schemes.
Regional rollout and enforcement landscape
The extension covers a wide geography, including Barnet, Waltham Forest, Leeds, County Durham, Plymouth, Oxford, and Colchester. For landlords in these areas, particularly those holding HMOs or navigating selective licensing, the change increases the financial stakes of administrative errors.
Some regions have already seen sharp rises in enforcement. For example, London boroughs issued more than £8m in civil penalties in 2023, according to published council records – a trend that could accelerate with enhanced data access.
Letting agents note that housing support cases often involve more complex tenancies. As one North London agent told industry press earlier this year, RRO-linked disputes typically arise where “communication between the tenant, council and landlord breaks down, rather than outright malpractice.” While not a quote from this article’s source, it reflects published market commentary on the issue.
Compliance pressures
The extension arrives at a time when landlords are already grappling with higher mortgage costs and tightening local licensing regimes. ONS rental data shows annual UK rent growth running at 7.6% recently – equivalent to around £87 more per month on a typical tenancy – yet many landlords say rising costs are still outpacing income.
Social Security Minister Sir Stephen Timms said:
“No one should live in unsafe or unsuitable housing. We are giving local authorities the tools they need to deter bad housing practice, and ensuring better value for money by upholding safe standards.”
Landlords accept the need for enforcement, but worry that the widened RRO window might encourage councils to rely on revenue recovery rather than targeted action against genuine rogue operators.
Editor’s view
The policy’s aim – tackling genuine rogue operators – is fair. Yet expanded powers often widen far beyond their original purpose. Responsible landlords now face increased administrative risk unless their paperwork is watertight. What remains unclear is whether government recognises the danger of squeezing compliant landlords out of a sector already short on homes to rent.
Author: Editorial team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance.
Published: 22 December 2025
Sources: Department for Work and Pensions, Ministry of Housing, NRLA commentary, ONS rental data, Camden Council published enforcement data.
Related reading: Government admits no assessment made on 12-month re-letting ban
