Government rules out Nightingale-style courts for possession cases

The government has ruled out Nightingale-style courts to tackle the court backlog, despite reforms causing concern.

In a written parliamentary answer, Justice Minister Sarah Sackman denied there was a national backlog for possession cases

As previously reported by Property118, Propertymark has called for the creation of specialist housing courts.

No national backlog for possession cases

Justice Minister Sarah Sackman said: “The Ministry of Justice is working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and HM Courts and Tribunals Service to ensure that the courts and tribunals have the resources and capacity they need to handle the additional workload housing reforms will generate. This includes developing a new Digital Possession Service.

“No consideration has been given to the establishment of Nightingale-style courts. There is no national backlog for possession cases at this time. Possession cases are dealt with in the County Court. The Civil Procedure Rules state that standard possession claims should have their first hearing between four and eight weeks from issue of the claim.

“The most recent quarterly data (January to March 2026) from Mortgage and Landlord Possession Statistics, Mortgage and landlord possession statistics, show that the national median timeliness from possession claim to order is eight weeks.

“In relation to the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), which deals with most residential property matters outside of possession, the government has recruited additional administrative staff, established a centralised operational hub and updated operational processes to improve efficiency. We have also ensured the availability of suitable estates capacity for hearings and enhanced technology systems.”

Court backlog shows no signs of slowing down

However, as previously reported by Property118, the court backlog shows no sign of slowing down.

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) pointed out that landlords are having to wait weeks for court hearings to regain possession of their properties.

In a letter to the Justice Select Committee, the NRLA warned that the government has not provided clarity on how the courts will be prepared for the digital possession process.