Section 21 Possession Claims Decline to Multi-Year Low, Official Statistics Reveal
Recent speculation surrounding the Renters' Rights Bill has centered on concerns that eliminating Section 21 no-fault evictions could trigger a surge in landlord-tenant conflicts. However, newly released data from the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) challenges this narrative, revealing a downward trajectory in possession claims that contradicts industry anxieties.
With the Renters' Rights Act set to take effect on 1 May, effectively ending Section 21 evictions, the NRLA has highlighted government statistics demonstrating that 2025 saw just 28,112 possession claims filed under the Section 21 accelerated procedure across England—the lowest annual figure recorded since 2022. The trend continued through year-end, with Q4 2025 registering only 6,367 claims, marking another multi-year low point.
Complementing this decline, homelessness data from the July-September 2025 quarter reveals an 18.6% year-over-year reduction in households facing homelessness due to Section 21 notices, suggesting the impending transition may be occurring against a backdrop of moderating eviction activity rather than escalating displacement pressures.
In preparation for the transition, authorities have recently released comprehensive guidance materials detailing the operational changes landlords and letting agents must communicate to tenants by the 31 May 2026 deadline.
The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026 serves as a standardized reference document addressing critical tenancy modifications, including the abolition of Section 21 proceedings, the transition to periodic tenancies, enhanced rent increase safeguards, and expanded tenant prerogatives such as pet ownership rights. This mandatory disclosure framework aims to ensure England's rental population—numbering in the millions—receives consistent information regarding their evolving rights and obligations ahead of the 1 May implementation date.
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