Section 21 repossession claims are declining across England, according to official figures, despite reports suggesting landlords are accelerating evictions ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act, which will abolish Section 21 ‘no explanation’ repossessions from 1 May.
Government data shows that 28,112 possession claims were brought to county courts in 2025 using the Section 21 accelerated procedure. This marks the lowest annual figure recorded since 2022, indicating a slowdown rather than a spike in landlord activity.
Quarterly data shows continued decline
The trend is also reflected in the final quarter of the year. During the last three months of 2025, when the Renters’ Rights Act completed its passage through Parliament, 6,367 Section 21 claims were issued.
This represents the lowest quarterly total since the final quarter of 2022, suggesting that landlord behaviour has not shifted sharply in response to the upcoming legislative change.
What the data means for landlords
The figures challenge the narrative that landlords are rushing to issue ‘no fault’ eviction notices before the rules change. Instead, the data points to a more stable pattern of possession activity within the private rented sector.
For landlords, the removal of Section 21 is expected to increase reliance on alternative legal routes to regain possession, particularly where tenancy breaches or arrears are involved. This shift is likely to place greater emphasis on compliance, documentation, and robust tenancy management.
Homelessness pressures also easing
Separate government homelessness data supports the same trend. Between July and September 2025, the number of households threatened with homelessness due to a Section 21 notice fell by 18.6% compared with the same period a year earlier.
This decline suggests that the reduction in possession claims is also feeding through to lower levels of housing insecurity linked to ‘no-fault’ evictions.
What happens next
With the Renters’ Rights Act set to remove Section 21 entirely, the focus will shift to how landlords and UK letting agents adapt to a system based on strengthened grounds for possession.
While the latest figures show no evidence of a surge in claims, the transition away from Section 21 is likely to reshape the legal and operational landscape for the private rented sector over the coming years.
