Landlords issue fewer Section 21 claims ahead of ban

Section 21 repossession cases have fallen ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act coming into force, according to government figures.

Data analysed by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) shows that Section 21 (‘accelerated’) possession claims in the county courts have dropped to their lowest level in several years.

The news comes as the abolition of Section 21 comes into effect on 1 May 2026.

Lowest level since 2022

According to government data, in 2025, 28,112 possession claims were brought to the county courts in England following the issuing of Section 21 notice to a tenant (known as the ‘accelerated’ procedure), the lowest level since 2022.

In the final quarter of 2025 (when the Renters’ Rights Act formally completed its passage through Parliament) 6,367 claims were brought under the Section 21 route. This is the lowest number since the final quarter of 2022.

As previously reported by Property118, according to government figures from Statutory Homelessness in England, the number of households at risk of becoming homeless is not just down to Section 21 evictions, but also a rise in households leaving Home Office asylum support accommodation.

Government data also reveals in July-September last year, the number of households threatened with homelessness due to the service of a Section 21 notice was down 18.6% compared with the same period the year before.

The English Housing Survey Private Rented Sector report for 2021-2022 reveals the majority of renters (77%) ended their last tenancy because they wanted to move NOT because of eviction.

Every case will need to go through a court hearing

Under the current Section 21 route, landlords can repossess a property without the need for a court hearing.

However, as previously reported by Property118, after 1 May 2026, every case will need to go through a court hearing, and landlords will only be able to seek possession by demonstrating specific grounds.

If a tenant challenges the claim or the application is incomplete, a hearing may be required, which can significantly delay possession.

The latest Ministry of Justice figures show that the median time from claim to warrant is 15.3 weeks, up from 14 weeks in the same period in 2024, while median time from claim to actual repossession has increased to 27.4 weeks, up from 24.4 weeks.