Landlord possession claims in England and Wales rose by 6% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, reaching 23,635 between April and June. This is an increase from 22,352 during the same period last year, according to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures released today.
Despite the rise in claims, repossessions by county court bailiffs following landlord action fell by 3% to 6,560. Warrants for possession also decreased by 6% to 9,715.
Accelerated possession claims saw the largest increase, up 16% compared to the second quarter of 2025. Private landlord claims rose by 5%, while social landlord claims decreased by 3%. London accounted for a third of all landlord possession claims, with 7,793 recorded.
The MoJ noted that it is not yet clear if these changes in possession activity are linked to the Renters’ Rights Act, which came into force on 1 May. Trends will continue to be monitored.
In contrast, mortgage possession claims fell by 20% year-on-year, from 6,539 to 5,232. Mortgage repossessions by county court bailiffs also declined by 14% to 1,008. However, the median time from a mortgage claim to repossession increased to 49.1 weeks, the longest since the fourth quarter of 2023.