Landlord possession claims increased during the first quarter of 2026 as pressure continued to build within the private rented sector ahead of the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Act, according to the latest Ministry of Justice figures.
New data published by the government shows accelerated possession claims rose from 6,489 in Q4 2025 to 6,599 in Q1 2026, while overall landlord possession claims increased from 21,457 to 22,733 over the same period.
The figures come as the sector continues to adjust to the first phase of the Renters’ Rights Act, which came into force on 1 May 2026 and abolished Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions in England.
However, Landlord Action believes the full impact of landlords acting ahead of the legislative changes is unlikely to have been fully reflected within the latest court figures due to delays between notices being served and claims formally progressing through the legal system.
TOO EARLY TO TELL
Paul Shamplina (main picture), Founder of Landlord Action, says: “While the Q1 Ministry of Justice figures released do not currently show a dramatic spike in landlord possession claims overall, the data does suggest that pressure within the private rented sector remained elevated ahead of the Renters’ Rights changes.
“However, we believe it is still too early for the figures to fully reflect the level of activity that took place before the abolition of Section 21.
“The latest figures show accelerated possession claims increased from 6,489 in Q4 2025 to 6,599 in Q1 2026. Overall, landlord possession claims also rose from 21,457 to 22,733 quarter-on-quarter.”
LANDLORD LAG
He adds: “In practice, there is often a considerable lag between landlords serving notice, seeking legal advice and cases formally progressing to court claim stage, meaning much of the activity seen across the sector in the lead-up to the legislative changes may not yet be captured within these figures.
“At Landlord Action, we experienced one of the busiest periods in our history ahead of the reforms, with a significant increase in landlord enquiries and instructions as many sought to act before the rules changed. However, a large proportion of those cases would still have been progressing through the early stages of the possession process during Q1.
“For that reason, we expect the Q2 and Q3 figures to provide a much clearer indication of the true level of possession activity following the legislative changes and the extent of the pressure moving through the court system.”
Further court data over the coming quarters is expected to provide a clearer picture of how landlords, tenants and the legal system are adapting to the new possession framework.
