Lauren Fraser comments in The Daily Telegraph on the UK Renters' Rights Act and "no fault" evictions

The Daily Telegraph reports that waiting times for landlord possession cases reached a 20‑year high last year, excluding 2021 when court operations were heavily disrupted by the pandemic. It points to Government figures, suggesting that in 2025 the average period between issuing a claim and regaining possession was 27 weeks (189 days) in England and Wales. This backlog has continued despite an approximate 8% fall in the number of claims compared with 2024, with delays increasing even though landlords were not bringing significantly more cases.

Solicitors and landlord groups have warned that delays are likely to worsen from 1 May, when key provisions of the Renters’ Rights Act come into force. The ban on Section 21 “no‑fault” evictions will remove the quickest existing route to possession for private landlords, extending the process to an estimated 334 days.

The Government has also announced £50 million in funding to support the digitisation of county courts in an effort to accelerate proceedings. However, concerns remain across the sector that the funding will be insufficient to deliver meaningful reform at the required scale.

Lauren Fraser, Senior Associate in our Real Estate Disputes team, comments:

Many residential stakeholders will view it as, at best, a temporary patch on a system that is already creaking at the seams.

This is not about landlords seeking to evict tenants for no reason; it is about ensuring that where legitimate grounds for possession exist, cases are resolved fairly and efficiently for all parties.

Read the full article in The Daily Telegraph here (subscription required).