Mortgage and Landlord Possession Actions, Borough

Statistics on mortgage and landlord possession actions in the county courts of England and Wales, since 2000.

Figures represent court actions for possession and not actual homes repossessed. Repossessions can occur without a court order being made, while not all court orders result in repossession taking place.

The statistics on possession actions per 1,000 households are based on 2006 household estimates for England, published by the Department of Communities and Local Government up to and including 2009, all those from 2010 onwards use 2008 estimates for England.

The data provided in each of the tables relate to possession claims issued and claims leading to an orders being made in the county courts in England and Wales.

Claims Issued: A claimant begins an action for an order for possession of property by issuing a claim in a county court.

Orders Made: The court, following a judicial hearing (or judicial involvement in accelerated procedure cases) may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction. It is also possible that the order is followed by an application to vary/set it aside, which could result in another order being made. Where more than one order for possession is made in a claim, the count of claims leading to an order being made, to avoid double counting of claims, is based on the date and type of the first order made.

The landlord data include all types of landlord whether social or private sector, and cover actions made using both the standard and accelerated possession procedures. The accelerated possession procedure is used by landlords in relation to assured shorthold tenancies, when the fixed period of tenancy has come to an end. It enables orders to be made by the court solely on the basis of written evidence and without calling the parties to a hearing.

Ward level data also available from the MoJ website here.