Ever since the announcement that Section 21 will be scrapped, most landlords have accepted that Section 8 will be the only route available when looking to regain possession of their rental property. However, this method is often criticised for being too slow.

To assess how the government is dealing with this issue, the Residential Landlords Association (RLA) made several freedom of information requests for data on repossession waiting times, both national and regional, to supplement Ministry of Justice data.

This follows on from the analysis the NLA did on waiting times in London for landlords seeking possession. Aidan Crehan, research and policy assistant at the RLA, stated: “The latest quarterly data from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) indicates that waiting times from repossession claim to bailiff enforcement took a national mean and median average of 22.6 and 16.6 weeks, respectively.

“RLA research shows that 96.8% of grounds-based repossession claims include rent arrears as a cited reason, proportions of these claims include other common factors such as anti-social behaviour and damage to property. Considering the average monthly rent in England is £700, a wait of between four and six months for the repossession of property is a significant financial strain on landlords.

“Alongside the strain on landlords, these delays harm tenants too. Concerns around using the courts mean almost 85% of landlords are likely to be more selective of tenants. This increased selectivity means tenants in perceived risk-groups will suffer the most as they struggle for housing.”