London Landlords Most Likely to Evict Tenants

Landlords in London are most likely to evict tenants, according to statistics published in 2019. 

Nine of the top 10 areas with the highest repossession rates are in the capital. 

Barking and Dagenham is the borough topping the list, with 257 repossessions at a rate of 320 per 100,000 households, says the Ministry of Justice. 

The second was Hackney, with a rate of 295 per 100,000 households, followed by Greenwich, 276. 

Outside the capital, the highest rates were in Middlesbrough (53 per 100,000 households), Barrow-in-Furness (49) and Blackpool (48). 

The Isles of Scilly had no possession claims, while Monmouthshire, Wales, had the lowest rate - 15 claims per 100,000 households. 

The statistics also show landlords must wait an average of 6.9 weeks for courts to make a possession order, followed by 15.3 weeks to issue a warrant and 19.4 weeks to see a repossession. 

The October to December 2018 figures are slightly up on the timelines from the previous period.

“Over the last 5 years, 73% of claims progressed to orders of repossession; 38% to warrants, and just under a quarter (24%) ended in repossession. Over the 5-year period to December 2018, when compared to the 5-year period to December 2017, the proportion of claims reaching each possession stage has decreased,” said the report.

The statistics also show that mortgage repossessions have remained steady for the past three years, even though they increased slightly towards the end of 2018.

“Mortgage possession claims fell from a peak of 26,419 in April to June 2009 before stabilising in April to June 2015 (4,849). In the most recent quarter, there were 5,648 claims for possession; up 30% from the same quarter in 2017. It is too early to establish if this is a reversal of the downward trend or a fluctuation in the number of claims received,” said the Ministry.