The government has ruled out Nightingale-style courts for landlord possession work, saying there is “no national backlog” in possession cases and that standard claims should still reach a first hearing within four to eight weeks.
The position was set out in a written parliamentary answer from justice minister Sarah Sackman, who said ministers had given no consideration to setting up temporary courts for property and tribunal work. Instead, the Ministry of Justice said it is relying on extra capacity planning and a new digital possession service as housing reforms feed more work into the system.
For landlords, that matters now because the post-Renters’ Rights Act system is meant to lean more heavily on court-backed possession routes. If ministers will not add temporary court capacity, landlords will want hard evidence that the county courts and tribunals can absorb extra demand without longer waits and higher arrears.
Ministers reject extra court venues
The Commons answer followed a question on whether ministers had considered Nightingale-style courts to deal with backlogs in property cases and First-tier Tribunal work. Sackman said possession cases remain in the County Court and pointed to official figures showing a national median of eight weeks from possession claim to order in the January to March 2026 data.
Ministers also said the tribunal side has been given extra administrative staff, a central operational hub and updated processes, alongside improved hearing capacity and technology. That is a firmer answer than landlords had previously been given on whether extra physical court capacity was even being considered.
This follows Landlord Knowledge’s report on landlords waiting 32.5 weeks for possession progress, which highlighted how uneven local performance can be even when national averages look manageable. The latest response suggests the government is still leaning on national medians rather than promising a visible expansion in court estate capacity.
Digital possession service now doing the heavy lifting
The written answer puts the new digital possession service closer to the centre of the government’s plan. For landlords, that points to a practical shift: ministers appear to be betting more on process, staffing and digitisation than on opening new venues.
That may prove enough if volumes stay contained. But if Section 8 use rises and defended cases grow, local bottlenecks could still become the real story. Landlords watching possession risk will remember that recent Ministry of Justice possession data already showed a system under pressure before the latest reforms had fully bedded in.
The government’s answer also leaves one unresolved point for landlords: an eight-week median to order is not the same as a fast route back to possession. Enforcement, bailiff delays and defended hearings can still stretch the timeline well beyond the headline figure.
Landlords therefore have a clearer signal from ministers, but not necessarily stronger reassurance. The official line is that there is no national backlog. The market test will come when more landlords try to use the post-reform possession process at the same time. The written parliamentary answer makes clear that, for now, extra Nightingale-style courts are off the table.
What this means for landlords
- If you may need possession this year: keep files, notices and evidence tight from the start, because ministers are backing process efficiency rather than extra court buildings.
- Watch for: local delays that do not show up in national medians, especially where defended cases or enforcement bottlenecks are already common.
- If you self-manage: factor in the practical gap between a possession order and actual recovery of the property.
- Bottom line: the government says the system can cope, but landlords still carry the timing risk if local courts slow down.
Editor’s view
Ministers have now chosen their line: digitise, reorganise and hold the course. For landlords, that is only convincing if local court performance stays stable once the next wave of possession cases lands.
Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 29 July 2026
Sources: UK Parliament written question 18627, Ministry of Justice possession statistics, Tribunal Statistics Quarterly
Related reading: MoJ: private landlord possession claims rose before Section 21 ended
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