England’s housing courts at breaking point as renters battle no-fault evictions

A flood of no‑fault evictions is overwhelming England’s housing courts, with judges hearing up to 29 cases in a single day at Stratford housing court. Tenants are scrambling for extensions after receiving section 21 notices; one chronically ill father of three was granted only 28 days of additional protection, risking homelessness before the month’s end, while another saw a pre‑Renters’ Rights Act eviction postponed because the landlord’s paperwork was outdated. Landlords, meanwhile, are pushing cases to the high court to accelerate bailiff action, where the current wait in London stretches to seven months, creating a stark clash between parties desperate for speed and those fighting for time.

The surge is driven by a sharp rise in section 21 notices and a wave of landlords selling buy‑to‑let properties, which legal experts say has created a “perfect storm” for the courts. Official data reveal a 16 % jump in section 21 evictions between April and June 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, while Savills reports 254,000 buy‑to‑let homes listed for sale in the year to March 2026—a 28 % increase on 2024. Approximately 93,000 landlords exited the market in 2025, with another 110,000 projected to leave in 2026, and former rental properties now make up 30 % of new sales in London versus 13 % elsewhere. Lawyers note that many of these evictions are being issued as section 8 notices, technically for breach but actually used because landlords claim a right to sell, leaving long‑term tenants with few affordable alternatives.

The consequences ripple through tenants, local authorities and the wider housing system. With a dearth of affordable homes, renters are advised to remain in their flats until bailiffs enforce removal, a strategy that leaves them in “absolute stress” and often pushes them toward homelessness. Legal practitioners warn that the backlog, which once took two to three months for a hearing, can now extend up to a year, exacerbating anxiety for vulnerable families. Advocacy groups such as Generation Rent criticize the reliance on “stay at home until the bailiffs come” guidance, calling for stronger protections and more proactive local authority support to prevent a growing crisis of displaced renters across England.

⚡ Effects Interpreter