You could be owed up to 24 months’ rent back.
If your landlord didn’t have the licence the council requires, the law says they may have to pay your rent back. Landlords are counting on you never finding out. Take 3 minutes and find out.
How it works
No lawyers. No courtroom. No cut of your money. Three steps, and the money goes straight from your landlord to you.
Answer a few simple questions. We check your home against the councils’ own records and show you what you could be owed, with the maths on screen.
Every letter and form, filled in with your details, in the right order, with a plain-English guide. You never write a legal word yourself.
Many landlords pay when the evidence lands on their desk. If yours digs in, your tribunal application is already filled in. Most hearings are a short video call.
Is this real? Don’t take our word for it.
The right to claim your rent back was written into law by Parliament. Tribunals order these repayments every week and publish every decision. Read the sources yourself:
What you actually get
Not advice. Not a middleman. The finished paperwork: prepared from your answers, sent in your name, money paid to you.
Rent Back Pack
When your landlord didn’t have the licence
£199 flat, per property
- Council evidence letter: makes the council confirm the rule-break in writing. This is your proof.
- Settlement letter: tells your landlord exactly what to pay you to end it. Many pay right here.
- Tribunal application, pre-filled, with your rent schedule and evidence checklist ready to send.
- Step-by-step guide: every deadline worked out, including what to do with any offer they make.
Covers the whole household. 5 housemates = £40 each
Before you buy, you’ll have seen your address missing from the council’s own register. We link you straight to it.
Costs awards in the tribunal are uncommon and generally arise only where a claim is pursued unreasonably, which a properly evidenced application is designed to avoid.
What you actually receive from a £12,000 claim
No-win-no-fee lawyers and claim companies will run this claim for you, in exchange for a slice of your payout. Here’s the same £12,000 claim, side by side:
With a no-win-no-fee lawyer
With VetMyLandlord
The part they’d rather you didn’t know: the tribunal doesn’t care who filled in the form. It was built for ordinary people. No lawyers needed, most hearings are a short video call, and the evidence is the same council letter either way. You can even do everything yourself for free. Our pack just makes it take an evening instead of weeks, with nothing missed and every deadline computed for you.
Fair questions
Is this real? It sounds too good.
It’s real law, and it’s deliberate: Parliament decided the punishment for landlords who dodge licensing should be paid to their tenants. Read it yourself: Housing and Planning Act 2016, Chapter 4: Rent Repayment Orders, and the offences in the Housing Act 2004, section 72. Councils’ own reports show huge numbers of unlicensed rentals, and almost nobody claiming.
Where does the deposit rule come from?
The Housing Act 2004, section 214: if a deposit wasn’t protected properly, the court must order the landlord to pay you between one and three times the deposit. The government’s own guidance is here: gov.uk, tenancy deposit protection.
Are there any other costs?
Only if your landlord refuses to settle and you take the claim to the tribunal: the tribunal charges an application fee of around £100. To be clear, that fee goes to the government's courts and tribunals service, not to us; we never take a penny of it. Students and lower-income tenants usually pay nothing at all through Help with Fees, and your completed form asks the tribunal to order your landlord to pay the fee back on top of your claim.
Can my landlord evict me for claiming?
The law now protects tenants from revenge eviction, and unlicensed landlords are blocked from the old no-fault route anyway. Many people also claim after they’ve moved out. You have 1 to 2 years for rent claims, and deposit claims run for 6.
Do I need a lawyer?
No. The tribunal and the deposit referee were designed for people without lawyers. Everything is decided on documents and a short video call, and the documents are exactly what we prepare. Independent advice charities like Shelter say the same.
What if I’m not actually eligible?
You’ll know before you spend a penny. The free check does the rules and the maths, then sends you straight to the official register (or all three deposit schemes) so you see the answer with your own eyes. You only buy once you’ve seen it. One honest caveat: registers can’t show a licence application still sitting in the council’s queue, which is exactly why the pack’s first letter makes the council confirm the full position in writing before anything is filed.
What does VetMyLandlord actually do, and not do?
We check the public records, do the maths, and prepare every document, filled in and ready to send. We’re not a law firm and we never act on your behalf. Letters go in your name, decisions stay yours, and 100% of any payout is yours.
Three minutes. Official records.
Your money.
Most people find out they’re owed nothing, and we tell them so honestly, for free.
The rest find out they’re sitting on four or five figures.