Landlord possession claims rose to 23,635 in England and Wales between April and June, up 6 percent on a year earlier, even as bailiff-led repossessions fell 3 percent to 6,560, new Ministry of Justice figures show.
The fresh twist is that this was the first quarter to include two months of trading after the Renters’ Rights Act came into force on 1 May. Ministers said it is still too early to pin the shift on the new regime, but the figures show accelerated claims jumped 16 percent while warrants fell back.
Possession pressure has not gone away with the new rules. Claims are still rising, London is still carrying a heavy share of the caseload, and the court process remains slow enough to keep arrears and exit decisions high on the agenda.
MoJ says claims rose while repossessions edged down
In the government’s latest mortgage and landlord possession statistics for April to June 2026, landlord claims rose from 22,352 to 23,635 year on year. Orders were broadly flat, warrants fell from 10,349 to 9,715, and repossessions by county court bailiffs slipped from 6,767 to 6,560.
The breakdown is still important. Accelerated claims climbed 16 percent, private landlord claims rose 5 percent and social landlord claims fell 3 percent. London alone accounted for 7,793 landlord claims, or a third of the national total, while landlord warrants in the capital dropped 20 percent year on year.
The MoJ also said the median time from claim to repossession shortened slightly to 27.1 weeks from 27.9 weeks a year earlier. That is still a long wait for landlords dealing with rent arrears or failed exits, especially where the property cannot be re-let or sold until the process ends.
Why the first post-RRA quarter matters now
The data covers April to June, making it the first quarterly snapshot to reflect the court system after the Renters’ Rights Act started on 1 May. The department said it is not yet clear whether the latest changes in possession activity can be attributed to the Act, but landlords will still read the figures as an early stress test of the new system.
This follows Landlord Knowledge’s recent report on the government adding 1,000 court roles for landlord possession cases as ministers tried to shore up capacity ahead of the new regime. Landlord Knowledge has also covered the high annual volume of landlord possession claims through the courts, and the latest quarter suggests that workload is still not easing in a meaningful way.
The most useful reading for landlords is not that repossessions dipped slightly. It is that claims are still entering the system in heavy numbers while case times remain measured in months, not weeks. That keeps cash flow, void risk and legal costs central to any portfolio review in the second half of 2026.
What this means for landlords
- If you may need possession this year: assume the court route still takes time and budget for a process that can run beyond six months.
- If you are reviewing tenant arrears cases: move early on evidence and legal advice rather than waiting for the position to worsen.
- Watch for: whether later 2026 quarters show a clearer Renters’ Rights Act effect on claims, warrants and repossessions.
- Bottom line: the first post-RRA court figures show landlords are still filing large numbers of possession claims even as completed repossessions dip.
Editor’s view
The headline rise in claims matters more than the modest fall in repossessions. If landlords keep sending more cases into a court system that still runs slowly, pressure on confidence in the new possession framework will build fast.
Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 24 August 2026
Sources: Ministry of Justice
Related reading: Government adds 1,000 court roles for landlord possession cases
📘 Renters’ Rights Act: Complete Landlord Guide
Everything you need to know about the new rules – 1 May 2026
