Tenants Win £9,075 Over An Unlicensed Southwark Flat

Introduction

A London landlord has been ordered to repay £9,075 to two former tenants after renting out a flat that should have had a licence but didn’t. The decision was made by the First-Tier Tribunal on 17 November 2025 and included an extra £330 to cover the tenants’ fees for bringing the case.

What Happened?

The tenants, Romain Faure and Stella Roux, rented Flat 9, Albert Westcott House from March 2023 to March 2024. Later on, they discovered something important: the area their flat was in, Southwark, has a selective licensing scheme. This means all landlords in certain neighbourhoods must apply for a licence before renting out a property.

Their landlord, Anna Tereska Buzek Lynam, never got the licence.

With help from Justice for Tenants, the pair applied for a Rent Repayment Order (RRO), which allows tenants to claim back rent if the landlord has broken certain housing laws.

What Did the Tribunal Find?

The Tribunal looked at the evidence and confirmed that:

• The flat did need a licence.

• The landlord did not have one at any point during the tenancy.

The landlord tried to argue that her letting agents misled her and that she thought they were handling the licence. The Tribunal didn’t accept this. They said it is always the landlord’s responsibility to make sure a property is properly licensed, not the agent’s.

Because the law had been broken, the Tribunal then had to decide how much rent the landlord should repay. They decided on 50% of the rent for the period that counted, which came to £9,075.

What Was the Final Decision?

The Tribunal ordered the landlord to:

• Pay £9,075 back to the tenants

• Refund the £330 tribunal fee

• Make the payment within 28 days

Final Thoughts

This case makes things very clear:

For tenants:
If your landlord should have a licence but doesn’t, you can often claim back a large amount of your rent. RROs are a strong way to hold landlords accountable.

For landlords:
You must check every property you rent out. If it needs a licence, you must get one before tenants move in. Blaming your agent won’t work; the responsibility stays with you.

Licensing rules exist to protect renters, and this case shows that Tribunals will enforce them. Read more about this First Tier Tribunal case.

Could this apply to you?

Nearly every case in this series turns on the same thing: a property that needed a licence and did not have one. That is not rare, and it is free to check.

• Look up the address on your council's public licensing register. Mandatory HMO licensing covers five or more people from two or more households, and many councils run additional or selective schemes covering ordinary lets too. How to check a landlord and property.
• Work out whether your home is an HMO and what that means for your rights. Your rights in a shared house.
• See what a claim involves, including the time limits. A Rent Repayment Order can return up to twelve months' rent, and you can apply after you have moved out. Claiming money back from your landlord.
• Read the wider pattern in our analysis of thousands of tribunal decisions. What Rent Repayment Order data says.

And whatever the outcome, review the landlord and the property. A tribunal decision helps the tenants who brought it. A review reaches the person about to sign next.