The number of property possession claims by landlords has increased by 12% above the previous year, with significant increases in some parts of England and Wales, according to the Government’s latest Court statistics.

In a fifth of UK courts (34 out of 172 courts), there has been a rise of over 20% in possession claims brought by landlords, year on year. In total, there were 42,520 claims for possession under the accelerated claims procedure issued in the first quarter of 2013.

Michael Portman, Managing Director of LetRisks, said: “Tenants are facing continuing pressure on their finances as rents have increased in every region across the UK.

“The rise in April means average rents have returned to levels not seen since November last year and they are 3.9% higher typically than a year ago. Wales recorded the second highest spike, with a 5% rise taking rents to £566 typically. Londoners are the worst hit, with the average rent jumping by 7.6% to a record £1,110 a month.”

Wales saw a huge increase in claims, with Neath and Port Talbot hitting 98% whilst Blackwood, Newport and Pontypridd had 20.3%, 23% and 25.1% respectively. In Central London there was a 36% increase in claims whilst Greater London has over four times as many possessions claims per household as the lowest region, the South West.