diff --git a/src/reactTemplates.js b/src/reactTemplates.js
index e840a60..0b93952 100644
--- a/src/reactTemplates.js
+++ b/src/reactTemplates.js
@@ -584,6 +584,8 @@ function parseAndConvertHtmlToReact(html, context) {
         throw RTCodeError.build(context, rootNode.root()[0], 'Document should have a single root element');
     } else if (firstTag.name === virtualNode) {
         throw RTCodeError.build(context, firstTag, `Document should not have <${virtualNode}> as root element`);
+    } else if (_.includes(_.keys(firstTag.attribs), repeatAttr)) {
+        throw RTCodeError.build(context, firstTag, "root element may not have a 'rt-repeat' attribute");
     }
     return convertHtmlToReact(firstTag, context);
 }
diff --git a/test/data/invalid/invalid-repeat-1.rt b/test/data/invalid/invalid-repeat-1.rt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7cd3c6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/data/invalid/invalid-repeat-1.rt
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+<div>
+   <div rt-repeat="a in b in c"></div>
+<div>   
diff --git a/test/data/invalid/invalid-repeat-2.rt b/test/data/invalid/invalid-repeat-2.rt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1774607
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/data/invalid/invalid-repeat-2.rt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<div rt-repeat="a in [1,2,3]">{a}</div>
diff --git a/test/data/invalid/invalid-repeat.rt b/test/data/invalid/invalid-repeat.rt
deleted file mode 100644
index 74cfdb8..0000000
--- a/test/data/invalid/invalid-repeat.rt
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-<div rt-repeat="a in b in c"></div>
diff --git a/test/src/rt.invalid.spec.js b/test/src/rt.invalid.spec.js
index 3a6b6bb..3c98c0a 100644
--- a/test/src/rt.invalid.spec.js
+++ b/test/src/rt.invalid.spec.js
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@ module.exports = {
             {file: 'invalid-lambda.rt', issue: new RTCodeError("when using 'on' events, use lambda '(p1,p2)=>body' notation or use {} to return a callback function. error: [onClick='']", 0, 23, 1, 1)},
             {file: 'invalid-js.rt', issue: new RTCodeError('Unexpected token ILLEGAL', 0, 32, 1, 1)},
             {file: 'invalid-single-root.rt', issue: new RTCodeError('Document should have no more than a single root element', 12, 23, 2, 1)},
-            {file: 'invalid-repeat.rt', issue: new RTCodeError('rt-repeat invalid \'in\' expression \'a in b in c\'', 0, 35, 1, 1)},
+            {file: 'invalid-repeat-1.rt', issue: new RTCodeError("rt-repeat invalid 'in' expression 'a in b in c'", 9, 44, 2, 4)},
+            {file: 'invalid-repeat-2.rt', issue: new RTCodeError("root element may not have a 'rt-repeat' attribute", 0, 39, 1, 1)},
             {file: 'invalid-rt-require-1.rt', issue: new RTCodeError("'rt-require' needs 'dependency' and 'as' attributes", 0, 14, 1, 1)},
             {file: 'invalid-rt-require-2.rt', issue: new RTCodeError("'rt-require' may have no children", 0, 32, 1, 1)},
             {file: 'invalid-rt-import-1.rt', issue: new RTCodeError("'*' imports must have an 'as' attribute", 0, 36, 1, 1)},