Almost 29,000 landlord possession claims were lodged across England and Wales over the past year, according to new analysis from LegalforLandlords.
The legal services provider analysed the latest government data on landlord possessions across the four quarters between Q2 2025 and Q1 2026, recording a total of 28,610 possession claims issued during that period.
London accounted for by far the highest volume of claims of any region, with 10,186 filed over the year. That figure is almost three times the total for the South East, which ranked second with 3,396 claims. The North West came third with 3,255, followed by the West Midlands (2,402), East of England (2,235), East Midlands (1,842), Yorkshire and the Humber (1,768), South West (1,488) and North East (1,186).
At local authority level, Newham recorded the highest number of possession claims over the year at 984. Birmingham followed with 691, then Redbridge (615), Enfield (588) and Croydon (544). The remainder of the top 10 was dominated by London boroughs: Barking and Dagenham (528), Lewisham (514), Ealing (507), Manchester (502) and Greenwich (457).
The analysis points to an often-overlooked reality of the current rental market. Landlords can encounter circumstances that require possession proceedings regardless of demand conditions, including prolonged rent arrears, tenancy breaches, antisocial behaviour or the need to recover a property at the end of a fixed term. Even where rental homes are re-let quickly, the legal process of regaining possession can remain lengthy, costly and heavily regulated.
"The narrative surrounding today's rental market is often that landlords hold all the cards because demand is so strong," said Sim Sekhon, group chief executive of LegalforLandlords. "These figures demonstrate that the reality is considerably more nuanced.
"High demand doesn't prevent tenancies from breaking down, nor does it remove the need for landlords to recover possession when serious issues such as rent arrears or tenancy breaches arise. In many cases, possession proceedings represent the final step after every reasonable attempt has been made to resolve the situation.
"The legal framework surrounding possession has become increasingly complex in recent years, making it more important than ever that landlords understand both their rights and their responsibilities. Getting the process wrong can lead to significant delays, additional costs and, ultimately, prolonged financial losses.
"Good landlords don't want to evict tenants. They want successful, long-term tenancies. But when a tenancy unfortunately reaches the point where possession becomes unavoidable, having access to experienced legal support is essential to ensure the process is handled correctly, fairly and in full compliance with the law."
Almost 29,000 landlord possession claims were lodged across England and Wales over the past year, according to new analysis from LegalforLandlords, underlining that strong rental demand and record rents are doing little to reduce the number of tenancies ending in legal action.
The legal services provider analysed the latest government data on landlord possessions across the four quarters between Q2 2025 and Q1 2026, recording a total of 28,610 possession claims issued during that period.
London accounted for by far the highest volume of claims of any region, with 10,186 filed over the year. That figure is almost three times the total for the South East, which ranked second with 3,396 claims. The North West came third with 3,255, followed by the West Midlands (2,402), East of England (2,235), East Midlands (1,842), Yorkshire and the Humber (1,768), South West (1,488) and North East (1,186).
At local authority level, Newham recorded the highest number of possession claims over the year at 984. Birmingham followed with 691, then Redbridge (615), Enfield (588) and Croydon (544). The remainder of the top 10 was dominated by London boroughs: Barking and Dagenham (528), Lewisham (514), Ealing (507), Manchester (502) and Greenwich (457).
The analysis points to an often-overlooked reality of the current rental market. Landlords can encounter circumstances that require possession proceedings regardless of demand conditions, including prolonged rent arrears, tenancy breaches, antisocial behaviour or the need to recover a property at the end of a fixed term. Even where rental homes are re-let quickly, the legal process of regaining possession can remain lengthy, costly and heavily regulated.
"The narrative surrounding today's rental market is often that landlords hold all the cards because demand is so strong," said Sekhon. "These figures demonstrate that the reality is considerably more nuanced.
"High demand doesn't prevent tenancies from breaking down, nor does it remove the need for landlords to recover possession when serious issues such as rent arrears or tenancy breaches arise. In many cases, possession proceedings represent the final step after every reasonable attempt has been made to resolve the situation.
"The legal framework surrounding possession has become increasingly complex in recent years, making it more important than ever that landlords understand both their rights and their responsibilities. Getting the process wrong can lead to significant delays, additional costs and, ultimately, prolonged financial losses.
He concluded, "Good landlords don't want to evict tenants. They want successful, long-term tenancies. But when a tenancy unfortunately reaches the point where possession becomes unavoidable, having access to experienced legal support is essential to ensure the process is handled correctly, fairly and in full compliance with the law."
