Private landlord update

Earlier this year the Ministry of Justice released the Mortgage and landlord possession statistics: April to June 2022 detailing the significant increase in the number of possession claims compared to the same quarter in 2021, with a majority of claims being brought by private landlords rather than social landlords.  

This may not come as any surprise to many in the housing sector who are aware of to the backlog that was created with the COVID-19 restrictions, and the current cost-of-living crisis meaning more tenants will struggle to maintain their tenancies, and more landlords will be thinking about selling their properties. 

The current figures published show an increase in landlord possession claims of 160%, orders for possession have increased by 164% and warrants of possession by 104%. The time is also decreasing for a possession claim, although it is still considered a lengthy process.  

The figures are not as high as they were prior to the pandemic, but they seem to be on course to reach those levels, if not surpass them. 

MSB’s private landlord team have seen an increase in possession claims, with many landlords dealing with tenants owing thousands in rent arrears. Understandably this has also led to many landlords trying save money where they can, and this may mean they try to handle any possession claim without legal representatives, which can prove to be a costly mistake. As with all housing matters, we would always advise that landlords seek independent legal advice before taking any actions against tenants to ensure the proceedings are done correctly. A previous case of a landlord who got it wrong can be found here. 

If you need advice on dealing with a possession claim, or any landlord matter, please contact our expert team. 

More details on the statistics and the previous year’s statistics can be found here.