Landlord possession claims fall ahead of Section 21 ban

Landlord possession claims dropped 7.8% in 2025 despite the approaching removal of Section 21, research reveals.

According to Inventory Base, there were 91,093 claims issued during the year, compared with 98,766 in 2024.

The fall comes ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act taking effect on 1 May.

The Act will ban Section 21 ‘no-fault’ repossession.

In practice, this will shift possession proceedings towards fault-based grounds and tighter evidential thresholds.

Possessions may rise

The firm’s operations director, Sián Hemming-Metcalfe, said: “As the implementation date approaches, we may see an uptick in repossessions, but this isn’t only a landlord issue.

“Letting agents will be the ones managing the operational reality: increased scrutiny, more disputes and far greater reliance on inspection evidence.”

She says preparation is key with regular, consistent inspections and detailed inventories and risk assessments.

Ms Hemming-Metcalfe said: “When tenants feel safe and settled, they are far more likely to stay long term.

“Longer tenancies reduce churn, minimise costly void periods, and cut the expense of repeated marketing and onboarding.”

Volumes fell too

Quarterly volumes moved lower as well, with claims averaging 23,553 per quarter in 2023.

They increased to 24,692 in 2024, then fell to 22,773 in 2025.

The firm says that any backlog may now move quickly.

Claims issued before the 1 May implementation date will proceed under existing rules, after which repossession becomes more difficult.