Landlords in England and Wales are waiting significantly longer to regain possession of their properties.
The average timeline has risen 9% over the past year to almost 25 weeks.
This comes alongside a continued rise in repossession volumes and ahead of major legislative change in the private rented sector.
Legal For Landlords says that while possession volumes have risen modestly, the time taken to complete the process has increased sharply.
Over the past four quarters, the average number of quarterly possessions stood at 7,099, compared to 6,799 during the previous four quarters.
The average time from to progress from submitting a possession claim to completing a repossession rose by 9.1%, from 24.4 weeks to 26.6 weeks.
This increase includes a 0.4% extension to the amount of time taken to progress from claim to the issuing of an order, and a 2.9% increase in the time between claim and a warrant being issued.
Annual repossessions nearing pre-pandemic levels
Further analysis of longer-term trends and it becomes clear that the total number of annual repossessions is climbing back to pre-pandemic levels.
In 2019, there were 30,319 landlord repossessions across England & Wales.
This figure fell dramatically to 7,327 in 2020 as court activity was curtailed during the pandemic.
Since then, repossessions have increased year on year, reaching 27,582 in 2024 – the latest full year of data available – and some 21,441 taking place between Q1 and Q3 of 2025 alone (latest available data).
While still slightly below pre-pandemic levels, the upward trend highlights growing pressure within the sector.
Section 21 and the Renters’ Rights Act
The latest data comes as the government prepares to abolish Section 21 evictions under the Renters Rights Act.
Legal For Landlords expects this shift to increase both the complexity of possession claims and the pressure on an already stretched court system.
This article is taken from Landlord Today