There was a pointy rise in eviction notices as landlords race to behave earlier than Part 21 is abolished.
Tenant eviction specialists Landlord Motion report their busiest month in additional than two years, with landlord directions to serve notices up 62% year-on-year in September 2025.
Landlord Motion says it has recorded vital progress in each Part 21 notices and mixed Part 21 and Part 8 directions as landlords sought readability and management forward of the upcoming reforms.
Paul Shamplina, founding father of Landlord Motion, believes the rise displays each landlords’ uncertainty concerning the new authorized panorama and a need to behave earlier than the brand new regime reshapes the possession course of.
“It’s no shock we had such a busy September,” mentioned Shamplina. “Landlords have identified the abolition of Part 21 was coming for years, however now that implementation is for certain, many have been taking motion to regain management earlier than the brand new regime takes impact. For some, which means serving discover on properties they wish to promote, or the place there are arrears or ongoing points, whereas they nonetheless can.”
The Renters’ Rights Act represents probably the most vital shift in personal renting for a era. The laws will abolish Part 21 and overhaul the possession course of underneath Part 8, introducing longer discover intervals, new restrictions on re-letting, and obligatory compliance for all landlords.
Landlords may even face new data necessities in 2026, together with offering tenants with a government-issued data sheet or up to date written phrases, relying on the tenancy. That is one other space the place preparation might be important.
Shamplina continued: “For greater than 35 years, Part 21 gave landlords an easy path to regain possession once they wanted to promote, transfer again in, or finish a tenancy that was not understanding. From 1st Might 2026, new tenancies will come underneath the reformed Part 8 system, and using Part 21 will start to section out as current tenancies transition. It is a monumental change and landlords are understandably nervous.
He additionally factors to broader market pressures, with extra landlords deciding to promote or cut back their portfolios as regulation tightens and mortgage prices stay excessive. “We’re seeing extra landlords re-evaluating their place,” he says. “For some, these modifications are the ultimate push to exit the sector altogether, particularly the place yields have been squeezed.”
Shamplina is amongst these within the business that has lengthy referred to as for enhancements to the courtroom course of and believes the present system is nowhere close to prepared for the transition away from Part 21.
The Ministry of Justice’s Q3 landlord possession statistics launched final week replicate this. The common time from declare to repossession has now risen to 27.4 weeks, up from 24.4 weeks final 12 months, highlighting the persevering with pressure on the courts.
Accelerated possession claims (part 21) proceed to make up a considerable share of all landlord actions. A number of London boroughs additionally recorded the very best declare and repossession charges within the nation, with Barking and Dagenham topping the listing for possession claims.
“I’ve mentioned for years that the courtroom system is in determined want of funding,” he defined. “We’ve got had guarantees from each governments, however little has really modified. In hindsight, if the concept of devoted Housing Courts had been adopted via again in 2020, and if Covid had not derailed the whole lot, we’d be in a a lot stronger place now. Confidence within the courtroom system is at an all-time low, and that may be a actual concern as we transition away from Part 21.”
Landlord Motion expects this surge in directions to proceed within the subsequent six months, as landlords search recommendation and readability forward of the total implementation of the brand new regulation. The agency had at all times anticipated an increase in directions because the laws neared, however expects exercise to stabilise and settle into a brand new norm as soon as the brand new timeframes and processes are confirmed and absolutely in place.
Regardless of the uncertainty, Shamplina insists there’s nonetheless room for optimism.
“Landlords who act professionally and maintain their compliance and paperwork watertight will nonetheless be capable to get better possession when they should,” he added. “It is a massive adjustment, nevertheless it actually doesn’t must be a disaster. The important thing now could be preparation, understanding, and adapting to the brand new guidelines earlier than they arrive into drive.”
