Landlord possession cases surge ahead of PRS reforms

Landlords are accelerating possession activity ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act being implemented on 1 May, with activity rising sharply as existing routes remain open.

Figures released by Landlord Action show instructions rose by 60% in March compared with the same month last year.

Enquiries climbed 75%, the largest monthly increase the firm has recorded.

The uplift comes as the Act removes Section 21 and redirects landlord possession cases towards a court-led route.

Said this would happen

The firm’s founder, Paul Shamplina, said: “This is exactly what we said would happen. As Section 21 is phased out, landlords are acting now while they still have certainty, because many are not confident in what replaces it.

“From the conversations I have been having with landlords across the country, there is still a great deal of confusion about how possession will work in practice, alongside growing concern about compliance, court delays, rent arrears and rising mortgage costs.

“That combination is pushing landlords into making decisions earlier than they otherwise would.”

He added: “Some landlords are choosing to exit the sector altogether, while others are regaining possession now rather than risk being unable to do so later.

“While possession activity will inevitably slow once these changes come into force, much of the damage will already have been done.

“Good landlords leaving the market and tenants losing homes in circumstances where, previously, no action would have been taken.”

Possession case grow

Across the first quarter, possession instructions were up 32% year-on-year, while enquiries increased by 23%.

Instructions are rising more quickly than enquiries.

Landlord Action says that landlords who had paused are now moving, and moving faster, progressing cases that had previously been delayed.

Section 21 still dominates possession work handled by the firm and in March, it was used at almost three times the rate of Section 8.

Section 21 evictions increase

In the first three months, Section 21 instructions increased by 43% year-on-year.

This volume of cases will shift into Section 8 once Section 21 is removed, bringing more claims into the courts where many would not have required that route before.

Even a partial transfer of these cases adds to existing court workloads.

What has largely been an administrative process becomes court-driven, with longer timelines and more procedural steps for both landlords and tenants.