Landlords mounted a final dash to the courts in the opening months of 2026, with possession claims rising by almost 6 per cent as property owners moved to regain control of their homes before the Renters’ Rights Act came into force on 1 May.
Analysis of the latest Ministry of Justice repossession data by legal services firm LegalforLandlords found that 22,733 possession claims were issued during the first quarter of the year, a rise of 5.9 per cent on the final quarter of 2025.
The surge represents a clear, last-minute scramble by landlords to act while Section 21 “no-fault” powers remained available, before the Renters’ Rights Act swept them away and replaced them with a legal framework that many in the sector fear will make repossession slower, more difficult and less certain.
Private landlords drove the increase, issuing 11.1 per cent more claims than in the previous quarter, while claims from social landlords rose by 5 per cent. Accelerated repossession claims across both sectors edged up by 1.7 per cent.
The reversal is all the more striking given the direction of travel through much of 2025, when possession activity fell steadily. Accelerated possession claims dropped by more than 10 per cent in the final quarter of last year alone, before changing course sharply as the implementation deadline loomed.
The figures may well mark the final wave of Section 21-related possession activity before the legislation fundamentally reshapes the private rented sector, a shift that has already prompted a forecast exodus of 220,000 rental homes from the market in 2026.
Sim Sekhon, group chief executive at LegalforLandlords, said the timing of the increases was “highly significant”.
“Landlords knew the Renters’ Rights Act was coming into force on 1 May and many clearly decided to act before the legislation changed the possession process permanently,” he said. “The sharp rise in private landlord claims strongly suggests many landlords accelerated possession proceedings while Section 21 was still available to them.
“Many landlords have spent the last year working to understand what the new rules mean for their ability to manage risk, deal with arrears and recover possession when necessary. These figures suggest a significant number decided not to wait.”
Sekhon added that confidence remained fragile across the sector. “There continues to be a real concern within the sector that the reforms have reduced confidence among existing landlords and will go on to discourage future investment in rental housing at a time when supply is already under pressure,” he said.
His warning echoes wider evidence that landlords are selling up in response to the reforms and successive tax rises, shrinking supply just as tenant demand remains elevated.
For landlords who remain in the market, the abolition of Section 21 places a premium on record-keeping and robust evidence. With possession now reliant on specific Section 8 grounds, maintaining a detailed lifecycle of property condition, inspections and management decisions is likely to prove decisive in any future dispute before the courts.