England’s housing courts at breaking point as renters battle no-fault evictions
Courts said to be ‘overloaded’ as landlords sell properties and tenants with nowhere to go try to delay evictions It is a Wednesday afternoon at Stratford housing court, and every seat in the waiting room is full. Over the next few hours, a conveyor belt of tenants and lawyers file into the courtroom to discuss their housing disputes – up to 29 cases are dealt with in a single day. In one case, a…
Stratford housing court in England is currently overwhelmed with cases, dealing with up to 29 disputes in a single day. A tenant with chronic ill health and three young children is seeking a 42-day extension to find alternative accommodation following a section 21 no-fault eviction earlier in the year. The judge granted 28 days, leaving the tenant at risk of homelessness by the end of the month.
Meanwhile, landlords are rushing to sell their properties, prompting tenants to delay evictions in hopes of securing new homes. However, this has led to a backlog of cases and a significant wait time for bailiffs, with some cases taking up to a year to resolve. Mustafa Sidki, a litigation partner at Thackray Williams, attributes the surge in no-fault evictions to landlords selling their properties, making it difficult for tenants to find suitable housing.
The situation has strained England's housing courts, with official data revealing a 16% increase in section 21 evictions between April and June this year compared to the same period in 2025.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
