New Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures published on 14 August 2025 confirm that the time it takes for a landlord to lawfully regain possession has lengthened again. In Q2 2025 (April–June), the median time from making a possession claim to a repossession carried out by county court bailiffs rose to 27.9 weeks, up from 25.4 weeks a year earlier. In other words, a typical case now takes just shy of seven months end‑to‑end.

What latest MOJ data shows

Although the time required for repossession has worsened, overall volumes have eased back. Compared with the same quarter last year, landlord possession claims fell 9%, orders fell 5%, warrants fell 8%, and repossessions fell 4%.

The delays are concentrated at later stages: claim‑to‑order remains 7.9 weeks (unchanged), claim‑to‑warrant increased to 15.1 weeks (from 14.1), and claim‑to‑repossessions increased to 27.9 weeks (from 25.4). London remains the system’s pressure point, accounting for 34% of all landlord claims in Q2.

Property lawyer David Smith of Spector Constant & Williams states “The latest possession statistics make unhappy reading for both landlords and tenants.

“No-fault evictions or Section 21 notices remain a flashpoint, with bailiff-led repossessions up 8% in Labour’s first year, despite the Renters’ Rights Bill being in its final stages.

“This is because although the number of possession claims have fallen, a higher number are leading to possession orders as landlords in London continue to evict at a high rate, presumably to exit the market.

“The Government’s view is that most accelerated possession claims will disappear once Section 21 goes, but in my view, we will simply see a sharp increase in other types of possession claims, which will in turn lengthen delays further.

“With private rental sector supply flat, there is an urgent need to restore landlord confidence.

“Court bottlenecks, longer timelines, and an uncertain regulatory horizon will not achieve that. Without that confidence, tenants will ultimately feel the impact through reduced availability and higher rents.”

Paul Shamplina, founder of Landlord Action, says: “These stats mirror exactly what we are seeing at Landlord Action.

“Yes, landlord possession claims may be down, but landlords are still waiting far too long to get their properties back.

“The median time from claim to repossession is now almost six weeks longer than it was just two years ago.

“On the ground, we are seeing more cases escalated to the High Court at the bailiff stage just to make any progress.

“Yet tenants are filing meritless defences to drag things out, and judges are adjourning far too often, sometimes on very flimsy grounds.

“These figures clearly show that declining volumes do not equate to quicker outcomes. We urgently need judicial reforms to reduce delays and stop stretching landlords into untenable timelines.”