Require faster eviction process, and improve protections for landlords in PRS

We petition the Government to amend the law for landlords by instituting a 6-week expedited court process for Mandatory Grounds s8/7A (arrears/Anti-Social Behaviour), creating a registered-landlord database of court-evicted tenants, and raising the deposit cap to adequately cover severe damage.

The abolition of Section 21 under the Renters' Rights Act means evicting bad tenants relies solely on Section 8. Current MoJ data shows the average eviction takes over 27 weeks (6+ months). We believe this delay punishes law-abiding landlords via irrecoverable arrears and damage. We urgently need an expedited court process for mandatory grounds (ASB/arrears), a vetting database for repeat offenders, and a higher deposit cap to help sustain the rental market.

The Government has no plans to introduce an expedited court possession process for mandatory possession grounds, a tenant vetting database, or to raise the cap on tenancy deposits.

We value the contribution made by responsible landlords, who provide quality homes to their tenants and understand that landlords must have robust possession grounds where there is a good reason to take their property back.

The Renters’ Rights Act (RRA) will introduce a new tenancy system from 1 May 2026. These reforms will clarify and expand grounds for possession, allowing landlords to regain possession when necessary, for example to sell or move in. Where a tenant is at fault, landlords will be able to seek possession using relevant grounds, including where a tenant commits anti-social behaviour, is damaging the property, or falls into significant arrears. While we recommend landlords and tenants work together to address issues, these possession grounds are sufficient to take action when this is not possible.

Most tenancies end amicably without the need for landlords to take possession action in the county court. However, the Government recognises that landlords need a smooth and efficient process when taking possession action if needed. Currently, the median average time from landlord claim to a possession order being issued is 7.3 weeks, below the HM Courts and Tribunal Service target of 8 weeks. Of those landlord possession claims issued in 2024, only a minority (28%) required enforcement by bailiffs, meaning that most cases take less than 27 weeks to resolve.