Commentary on provisions of Act Section 15: Recovery by relevant person of amount paid
This section enables a tenant or other relevant person to apply to the First-tier Tribunal for compensation from the landlord or letting agent for payments they have been required to make because of a breach of Section 1 or 2 and for recovery of a holding deposit that has been unlawfully withheld.
	Subsection (3) enables a relevant person that has been required to make a prohibited payment to apply to the First-tier Tribunal to recover their money provided that it has not already been repaid or with the consent of the relevant person applied to rent or the tenancy deposit. It also enables a relevant person to apply to the First-tier Tribunal to recover any holding deposit that has been unlawfully withheld by a landlord or letting agent and not repaid or with the consent of the relevant person applied to rent or the deposit.
	Subsection (5) enables a relevant person to apply to the First-tier Tribunal to recover any sums paid under a contract that they had been unlawfully required to enter into by a landlord or letting agent.
	A relevant person cannot apply to the First Tier Tribunal for compensation if an enforcement authority has, in relation to the relevant breach, commenced criminal proceedings or required the landlord or letting agent in question to compensate the relevant person.
	The tribunal may order the landlord or letting agent to compensate the relevant person within 7 to 14 days.
	If a landlord or letting agent fails to pay the compensation ordered by the tribunal, the relevant person may recover it on the order of the county court, as if it were payable under an order of that court.