Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by Property Industry Eye. Read the original article for full details.
Landlord Possession Claims Increase, Repossessions Decline
Landlord possession claims rose by 6% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, while repossessions by county court bailiffs fell, according to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures. Between April and June, there were 23,635 landlord possession claims, up from 22,352 during the same period in 2025.
Orders for possession remained broadly stable, but warrants fell by 6% to 9,715 and repossessions dropped by 3% to 6,560. Accelerated possession claims saw the largest increase, rising 16% compared to the second quarter of 2025. Private landlord claims increased by 5%, while claims by social landlords fell by 3%.
Accelerated claims accounted for 36% of all claims, totalling 8,569. Private and social landlords each accounted for 32% of claims, with 7,617 and 7,449 respectively.
Regional and Legislative Context
The figures cover the first two months following the Renters’ Rights Act coming into force on 1 May. The MoJ stated it is not yet clear whether changes in possession activity can be attributed to the new legislation, and that trends will continue to be monitored.
London accounted for a third of all landlord possession claims, with 7,793 recorded in the quarter, a 2% increase from the previous year. The capital also represented 31% of possession orders. However, landlord warrants in London fell by 20% year-on-year to 2,993, contributing to the national decline.
Timelines and Mortgage Possession Trends
The median time between a landlord possession claim and repossession shortened slightly to 27.1 weeks, compared to 27.9 weeks a year earlier. Claims took a median of 7.6 weeks to reach an order and 14.9 weeks to progress to a warrant.
Mortgage possession claims fell by 20% year-on-year, from 6,539 to 5,232. Orders declined by 17% to 3,651, and warrants were down 18% to 3,101. Mortgage repossessions by county court bailiffs also fell by 14% to 1,008. Despite lower volumes, mortgage possession cases took longer to progress, with the median time from claim to repossession increasing from 42.9 weeks to 49.1 weeks, the longest since the fourth quarter of 2023.
Source: Property Industry Eye