Awad v Hooley [2021] UKUT 55

The tenant applied for a Rent Repayment Order as the landlord did not have a licence for the property which required one. The tenant had paid part of the rent for the period that the Rent Repayment Order was being applied for but the tenant was also in substantial rent arrears.

The First-tier Tribunal (FTT) also had concerns about the tenant’s conduct. The FTT awarded the tenant 25% of the claim as a result of the rent arrears and the tenant’s conduct. The FTT explained that any payment of rent would first be set against the oldest of the arrears in accordance with normal practice, so these were not payments of rent for the period claimed. The tenant appealed to the Upper Tribunal (UT)